The Dragon in Her Heart
by Crack God
Summary: Tenten had been chosen, but thanks to Orochimaru's jutsu she cannot remember and things take a turn for the worse. Now she must go on a journey across the land and rediscover who her true friends are and do everything in her power to protect those bonds.
1. Long Awaited Information

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I am not Masashi Kishimoto. I cannot use a transformation jutsu to **_**look **_**like Masashi Kishimoto, or at least not yet. I may have it mastered by the time chapter twenty is up and posted though. However, for the time being I can't use it. And therefore I do not own Naruto or any other character created by Kishimoto.**

Some things in this world simply do not make any logical sense. How could a writer that has almost 300 reviews (all saying something along the lines of: Holy crap. Update soon. I can't wait for the next chapter! –or- The White Raptor is so cool! He is an awesome original character! –or- This story is really good. Please continue.) for a fanfiction story and then suddenly turn around and change almost the whole thing?

What would drive a writer to disregard the reviews of his or her fans? 

Sometimes there is no 'correct' reason, no answer that can be found that you can accept. Philosophy is a fickle world. Emotions can be triggered in an instant, but they never are triggered without a reason. The reasons behind our emotions and actions are extremely important. 

But here is a question; which is more important: Our feelings and actions or the reasons behind them. The correct answer is arguable. Let me put it in the terms of a book that most of us have all probably read; The Odyssey. 

At the end of the famous/ infamous poem, Odysseus (the so-called hero) kills the suitors that had been in his house over the years. Odysseus killed many people, some of which were pretty innocent. Killing these suitors was his action. But there were obviously reasons behind this action. Some of the suitors were planning on killing Odysseus's son, while others raped the female servants and even attempted to rape his wife. 

As you can see, the reasons for our actions and the actions themselves both seem very important. 

-

Naruto was lying on the battlefield, his body resembling a piece of crinkled-up paper. His clothes were in tatters, damp with sweat and soaked in his own blood. Part of his shirt had been torn off, revealing his bare stomach. 

No longer was the seal of Kyuubi placed upon his skin.

The boy made no attempt to stand. He had stopped breathing. 

Suddenly, a silver whip of chakra lashed out at the lifeless body. 

Tenten stopped in mid-charge. 

Neji halted as well. 

Time's militaristic march stopped, if only for a moment. Tenten and Neji turned and stared. Uzumaki Naruto, the hopeful ninja with a dream of becoming the revered Hokage, was already dead. There was nothing that they could do to save him.

The name of Uzumaki Naruto had been stripped off the holy list of the living. Time reflected on the removal of his name from the esteemed list of future Kage. Instead, his name made it to a more sombre, yet sinisterly administrated scroll. Both Neji and Tenten had witnessed this event a few days ago. And now, it had come true. Time's judgment was absolute. 

_No. Time can _not _be absolute, _Tenten's inner voice echoed. 

_Not a single being is, _Neji's own voice replied. 

They searched each other's eyes, the last naked epicenter of collective emotion; shades of brown and lavender relegated themselves to the background. Neji knew what Tenten wanted, and he planned to help her. 

The next instant had been decided well in advance. 

The dam that had held time's army was ready to bust. The flood of time was absolute. It couldn't be changed. No matter what. 

Which was the exact fact that seized to matter to Tenten and Neji. They rushed towards the corpse of the blonde ninja. The waters of the Absolute surged forward. The two had to beat them to Naruto. 

They stood before the boy's remains, their arms spread open in an attempt to block the silver blast of chakra from wiping out was left. 

They were willing to sacrifice their lives for Uzumaki Naruto. For a _dead_ shinobi. There was no reason behind their foolishness. Besides the fact that they wanted more than to prove something like time, or demons, or Gods or even fate wrong. 

They just wanted to save their friend.

**Chapter One**

**Long Awaited Information**

Hatake Kakashi leaped as far as he could from atop a high tree branch. He had to end this pursuit now. 

The silver-haired man descended towards the ground, tackling his target's back. The frightened looking ninja bore a hitai-ate engraved with the Cloud symbol. He surrendered to gravity, nearly collapsing beneath Kakashi's weight and from fear of the inevitable. 

Kakashi clawed into the man's shoulders, turning him upwards so that he could see his face. The Cloud nin wore a mask that covered everything up to the tip of his nose; a half mask much the same as the one Kakashi wore. But, if anything, it pronounced his terror more. It brought most of the attention to his eyes, currently bulging out of his skull as if 'Abandon ship!' lay emblazoned in its veins. His pupils were dilated so far that they were practically non-existent. The man knew who Copy Ninja Kakashi was. And he was scared shitless. 

With separate light thuds, two young teenagers jumped down to either side of the infamous Sharingan wielder.

One of the two was Haruno Sakura, 15 years of age. He pink hair was somewhat messy and several inches from touching her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were narrowed in the darkness of the night. She despised the ninja pinned beneath Kakashi. In her eyes, all of the ninja from Kumogakure, the Hidden Village of the Cloud, were all spineless, moral-less, shameless pieces of trash. And this man fit the standard description without error. 

The other was Uzumaki Naruto, also 15 years of age. His spiky blonde hair was matted with sweat, leaves and the occasional twig. His eyes were as blue as an ocean, one going through a thoroughly troubling tempest at this time. Naruto wanted to kill the Cloud nin. To rip his arms and legs off. Probably beat him with the appendages if he still lived. What gave the man the right to even breathe? Naruto knew what some shinobi chose to live and die for; he could never answer _why _they chose the path they did, despite feeling it deep within him. Regardless, this man held the information that he had been waiting for over the course of just over three years. He would listen to what the spineless bastard had to say. Afterwards, he would tear him to shreds. 

"You better start talking _now_," Kakashi ordered his captive. 

Only one of his eyes was visible, the other concealed beneath his lop-sided hitai-ate. But you only needed to see one of his intense eyes to know that he was being serious. 

"You see, none of the us three have any patience left. Tell us everything you know or this night will be your last."

The man opened his mouth to speak. No words left his mouth. He was so afraid that his body was paralyzed and his voice was lost. He didn't want to die. He wanted to tell them everything. He was a spineless coward that would betray his lord if it meant that he could live. But he was unable to speak. His body shook in fear. He was going to die.

"So you don't want to talk, huh?" Kakashi commented. "Then I'll just have to use this." 

The Jonin of the Leaf released one hand from pinning down the man; one would suffice. He then lifted up his headband, straightening it so that it was level across his forehead. Underneath it had rested his Sharingan, the blood red Kekkei Genkai; the unique power of the now massacred Uchiha clan. Kakashi may not have been born amongst the Uchiha, but he still knew how to maximize the abilities of the bloodline ability obtained from a fallen comrade. 

The Cloud ninja gazed at the eye as it spun like a pin-wheel. Some how, for some reason, the spinning relaxed his body, hypnotizing him. He would be able to speak after all. 

"Your Sharingan… it is no where near as hateful as Uchiha-san's," the man spoke, relieved behind belief. 

Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened for a second with interest. This confirmed it. The Land of Lightning had formed an alliance with Otogakure, Orochimaru's village. 

"Where is Orochimaru's base?" Kakashi demanded. "We've found Otogakure, but the village had recently been abandoned by him. We noticed several lingering Sound ninja scatter away, and with them were Cloud shinobi."

"Hmph. Yeah, it's true; Kumogakure and Otogakure have formed an alliance," the Kumo ninja admitted, committing treason. "The Land of Lightning offers much more space to hide in. And the terrain is harsh, limiting accessibility. We formed an alliance with the Sound after Orochimaru had offered to share his eternal life jutsu with Raikage-sama."

Naruto clenched his fist and cracked his knuckles. 

"So you've met Sasuke?" His words were both a statement and a question, but his voice was much more demanding.

"Yes," the man spoke. "He was… a different kind of shinobi. A different breed."

Sakura winced at the words.

"How so?" Kakashi asked as if he was being inquisitive. 

"He'd… do anything for power. Anything," the ninja of Kumo answered. "His goal is to become the strongest ninja, no matter what. That is why, Orochimaru cast his jutsu two years ago."

"And what the hell was so special about this freakin' jutsu?" Naruto yelled. He was already very impatient. He just wanted to get all the information he could.

"The Tenten jutsu," the man replied hastily. 

There was a slight waver of panic that returned to his voice, although he tried his best not to show it. After all, he was not in a situation where he could pick and choose what information to reveal or not.

"The Tenten jutsu?" Sakura asked, obviously confused. Regardless, she acted tough and in a position of authority, which she was. 

"Do you mind elaborating a little?" She reached into a pouch that she wore over her hip, pulling out a kunai as a threat to the cowardly man, whom grew pale upon seeing the glint of silver in the dim moonlight. 

"I- I don't know!" the man frantically said, "I just heard him use the term only once! I'm not exactly high up on the ladder, okay?!" 

Kakashi's Sharingan was observing him with great detail. Judging by his movements, his pulse had increased rapidly. But it did not give any sudden jolts or jerks. This indicated that he was telling the truth. 

"Fine," Kakashi replied simply, "We'll let you go unharmed as long as you answer my final question: Where exactly is Orochimaru's new base?" 

This, of course, was the most crucial thing to find out. 

"Okay, okay," the man spoke. "I've only been there once. But it really is the perfect hideout. It's _beneath _Kumo. _Underground_."

"Where's the entrance?"

"I don't know. I was blindfolded when I entered so that I wouldn't find out. Only the higher-ups know that answer."

"…" Kakashi once again did not sense that the man was lying. "You're free to go then." 

He released his grip on the man's shoulders and stood up to his full height. The Cloud nin looked almost confused, but he was relieved. Picking himself up, he turned around and started to run off into the dense forest. He would live to fight another day. 

Or so he thought. 

A clawed hand grabbed his shoulder, piercing his skin and covering his arm in his own warm blood. The ninja turned his head to see exactly what was going on. He would have fainted in fright at what his eyes witnessed if it was not for the searing pain of his new wound. 

Naruto had his nails digging into the man's flesh over his shoulder. Around him was an ever-growing aura of intense red chakra. His deep blue eyes had been replaced by red-set slits. 

"I don't think you've got long," Naruto growled. "Chances are Orochimaru already knows that you betrayed him. If I don't kill you now, then he'll torture you to death the slowest and most painful way he can think of. Consider this a favor."

The Cloud ninja didn't stand a chance against the fury of the Kyuubi's vessel.

* * *

A masked duo darted through the dense forests surrounding Konohagakure, the Hidden Village of the Leaf. They took zigzagged shaped paths through the tree branches, trying to shake of a pursuer. But the _thing_ that was giving chase after them wasn't going to be easily shaken off. 

The male shinobi had long jet-black hair that flowed backwards in the wind. His mask was unlike Kakashi's; it covered his entire face, much more like the standard issue ANBU mask. It was white with narrow, wolf-like eyes and several slash-like strokes painted upon it in blue. Over the mask was a hitai-ate marked with the Cloud symbol. The ninja wore a long white coat that trailed behind him as he attempted to ditch his pursuer, accentuated fairly by matching white trousers. Upon his belt were three swords; a wakazashi and a tachi over his right side, a sakabato over his left. 

The kunoichi wore her light brown hair so that her long bangs framed her face, the rest of it trailing back just as much as her male partner's. Her mask was black with painted teal-green eye slits, several arcs of the same color upon it as well near the forehead. She, unlike her partner, wore her hitai-ate, engraved with the symbol of Kirigakure, the Hidden Village of the Mist, tied around her right wrist. The kunoichi wore a slim fitting body suit that cut off right at her knees. Upon this shiny black suit was a white vest made of a less reflective material. Over her shoulders was a long cream-colored cloth made of silk, worn like a scarf. Upon her back was a sheathed blade that must have been at least four and a half feet long. Tucked underneath her tight-fitting belt was a much shorter blade; a kodachi. 

Ka-rack! Ka-rash!

Multiple trees were knocked down as an enormous silver flash of fur rushed through the forest at an extreme speed. Soon, the distance between it and the two shinobi decreased. It was only a matter of time before it caught up with them. 

The kunoichi turned around in mid-jump, swiftly drawing out her long sword from its sheath. She had to find some way to buy time. Seeing her plan, her partner stopped as well and unsheathed his tachi. Without even talking, the two knew what exactly to do. 

A clawed silver leg swiped towards them, creating a shock wave of harsh wind. The two jumped out of the wind's path, and then headed towards the thing that had been chasing them on their journey to Konoha. 

As they advanced towards it further, the beast, ironically, made itself less inconspicuous. 

It was a giant silver furred fox, no less than eighteen feet tall from head to foot. Its bristly fur was covered with a thin layer of translucent gray chakra—pure energy. Its tail was long and wispy, like a trailing stream of dark smoke. Its legs were bent, signaling that it was ready to strike at a second's notice. Its feet were armed with sharp claws, their size varying, their properties mimicking that of kunai. Upon the beast's chest was a mane of white strands, which glowed with the concentrated amounts of chakra. But all of these things could easily be overlooked upon even glancing at the fox's head.

It had eight eyes; four stacked up on the left and four of the right arranged in symmetrical fashion. And not a single eye was open. 

The monster was relying on all of its other senses. The two shinobi didn't even want to think what the monster could do if its eyes were opened. It was a frightening thought. 

And thus evolved the plan to go for his eyes first. Win-win situations were more fit for _Tales of the Gallant Jiraiya_ than for reality.

The kunoichi rooted her feet firmly upon the tree branch she was standing on. She raised her long sword over her head so that is pointed horizontally at the multi-eyed beast. The hilt was slightly behind the back of her head, which was grasped inside her right hand. Her left hand, however, was outstretched forward so that her fingers barely touched the middle of the weapon. And then, keeping that same stance as her upper body, she lunged at the monster's head. 

The fox, immense in size, snorted and strands of smoke exited its nostrils, cloaking the girl's vision with a thick gray haze. Regardless, she continued her assault. Landing upon the fox's nose, she then shifted her legs and bent them to make her body lower. Then, like a spring filled with tension giving the opportunity to release, she leaped forward, jabbing at the monster's multiple eyes with multiple hits. 

_Cling Cling Cling Cling Cling Cling Cling Cling!_

All eight of the kunoichi's strikes were made useless as a dense shield of chakra formed over the closed eyes. But it didn't matter. She had just been setting up the stage for her partner to make his move.

The masked ninja jumped as if from no where, landing on the slightly annoyed fox's forehead. His tachi, now unsheathed, was pointed between the creature's eyes, and although it touched the fur, it did not pierce through the skin. Beneath his mask, the shinobi closed his eyes. Instantaneously, his tachi was cloaked in thick, black chakra. The fact that he could make his chakra visible showed that he must have been extremely skilled. Regardless, his upcoming jutsu, or ninja technique, was not to harm the beast. It had a much more… studious purpose. 

* * *

The masked shinobi's mind's eye opened, which was following the path of the chakra that he had inserted into the giant silver fox. The chakra control he used was precise, thanks to the fact that he could actually see from his own chakra's point of view. And now inside the fox, the black chakra turned a bright white that illuminated the darkness. Currently, his chakra was following the fox's own chakra paths that were entwined with its brain. 

_Rip. Shred. Bite. Crunch. __**Kill!**_

This close to the canid's head, it was as if he could actually hear the monster's own subconscious thoughts. It was obvious that it wasn't going to just sit there for long. His partner would have to get to work and restrain the enormous animal ASAP.

* * *

The kunoichi quickly sheathed her blade in a single movement, putting it upon her back once more. Her attack upon the fox's eyes may have failed, but she still would have to help make sure that her partner had the time to use his jutsu. 

She whipped the silk cloth off from her shoulders, revealing that it was nearly a dozen feet long when fully unwrapped. She performed a single hand sign, ヘビ. Then, a fluorescent green chakra poured out of her fingertips, which was then absorbed by the silk fabric. The girl leaped up high into the air, and whipped the cloth downwards. The momentum made the cloth wrap around the fox's mouth. The kunoichi then landed upon the beast's snout and tied the cloth into a complicated knot. Still grasping the cloth that was not used in the knot but still connected to it, she jumped down upon the ground, pulling the fox's head down as well. As long as she kept a tight hold on the cloth, the fox could neither run in the opposite direction nor open its mouth. However, the fox could still run towards her. But her solution to this was simple. She performed another hand sign, and soon dug a hole under the ground. Now she would be safe from attack and the fox could hardly move, allowing her teammate to be able to stay on the fox's head and finish his jutsu. 

The two of them had a perfectly coordinated strategy. And they didn't even have to verbalize it. 

* * *

Slowly, the masked boy directed his chakra away from the fox's brain. He did, however, leave some of it behind so that the fox's chakra would have a tougher time at sending messages to the brain, thus lowering the animal's reaction time. It was a nice trick, although difficult to perform correctly.

His chakra took several turns and then went down. He was looking for something particular; a seal, or multiple seals. The fox, no doubt, had broken any seals placed upon it, seeing that it was in a free state. But the shinobi should still be able to identify the remains of shattered seals. A beast of this caliber must have been sealed away or bound in some degree. And for a long time at that; a creature this strong must have been spotted before and would be well known by now if it had been free for long. 

Then, the shinobi found a trace of a broken seal. His chakra collided with a disrupted path of the fox's own chakra. By now, his chakra was in the beast's chest. So the fox had one broken seal on its chest, underneath its long fur. Despite being shattered, the ninja could determine that the seal was either a pentagram or hexagram. 

The search did not end there, though. The ninja manipulated his chakra once again, making it creep down the left leg of the creature. Soon, another broken seal was detected. This one, though, was destroyed so thoroughly that what type of seal it had once been could not be determined. Then the chakra continued down to study the foot, but found no more oddities, so it changed direction and went back up, then traveling over and down through the right leg. At a right angle from the left leg's seal, the right leg had yet another seal. It, too, was completely demolished and the seal type could not be determined. The chakra then continued its search for seals, but coming up short in the foot again. 

* * *

The front legs of the silver fox started shaking uncontrollably. The multi-eyed monster had lost most of the control and chakra flow in its front legs. Its knees couldn't hold up its weight, and the enormous animal collapsed into the ground. It let out a deep, menacing growl. How dare someone paralyze its legs? How dare someone invade its body with their own chakra? How dare someone think they stood a change against it, the great Eight Eyed Fox?

As the beast fell to the ground, the shinobi atop of its head focused a small portion of his chakra to his feet, making sure that the fall didn't shake him of his spot and disrupt his jutsu. 

* * *

By now, the male shinobi had directed his chakra as far as into the fox's stomach. He had not yet discovered the remnants of another seal. His chakra then took an abrupt fall, going into the chakra paths of the beast's left hind leg. Just when the shinobi thought that he no seal had been placed upon this particular area, he saw a faint blue glow, the color of a shattered seal, at the ankle. This seal, however, was clearly more intact than all of the other three previously found. The male shinobi automatically identified it as a pentagram seal. The blue chakra network or the seal was hardly even broken; only a hairline crack could be seen going in an imperfect diagonal diameter. And if the seal was hardly even damaged, then it meant that some of the fox's chakra was still blocked off. 

The shinobi shuttered. If all of the seals the fox had were completely and utterly destroyed, and if the beast opened its eyes, then it would be nearly unstoppable. Scratch that; it WOULD be unstoppable.

Slowly but surely, the young male shinobi manipulated his chakra up the left leg, and then back down the right. Just as on its left counterpart, the right hand leg had another glowing blue pentagram seal right on the ankle, beneath the fur. And this seal was in perfect condition. It didn't even contain a crack or dent. 

The male's chakra was controlled again and forced back up the leg, There was only one place the ninja had left to study with his jutsu: the fox's tail. Soon, the ninja's own chakra was inches from entering the tail, and continued to creep forward. 

* * *

KA-BOOM!

The very instant that the ninja's chakra touched the dense chakra of the tail, an explosion as nearly as intense as that of a nuclear bomb went off from outside of the beast, sending a giant dome of smoke across the forest. 

Not even the black-haired shinobi's precise chakra control allowed his feet to stay planted upon the fox's head. Instantaneously, his body was flailing to the ground, landing with a very painful crash. 

The explosion ripped through the light blond-haired kunoichi's silk cloth that had been glowing with a fluorescent green chakra. Now the Eight Eyed Fox was free. 

The intense explosion shook the ground, causing the hole that the kunoichi was in to cave in. She had to work fast; otherwise she'd be crushed by the rocks. The girl raised the tattered cloth, still fluorescent with chakra, over head. The silk protected her from harm, allowing her to kick up off the bottom of the hole and leap up without being injured. 

But once she was up she had wished that she'd stayed down in the hole. The resulting smoke from the explosion was far too thick to see through. And it was the exact same color as the enormous fox's fur; the animal was perfectly camouflaged for this new environment. 

With a few muffled groans, the male shinobi struggled to stand up in the thick smog. Most of his bones were fractured or broken. He massaged his throbbing forehead. The explosion had caught him completely off guard. Nonetheless, he had still been able to gather enough information on the chakra network of the fox. And it had had five pentagram seals. He doubted that the tail had contained a sixth because it must have been swarming with an unprecedented amount of chakra. 

"Tsuchiko, are you all right?" the ninja called out into the blanket of gray. 

"Yeah. Where are you, White Raptor?" a feminine voice replied.

"I've told you already that you can call me by my real name," the male shinobi spoke, but he knew that his request would be pointless; she hardly ever called him by his birth given name. "And judging by your voice, you are about 6 yards to the northwest from my location. I think that I might need your medical abilities."

"Okay, I'm coming," Tsuchiko replied. 

Soon the familiar light brown hair and black body suit of the kunoichi came into the White Raptor's view, appearing through the compressed smoke. 

"Ouch," Tsuchiko said, seeing the condition of her partner.

The White Raptor's upper forehead and scalp had a long gash across it. His coat was torn and slashed, with blood seeping through the rips. His right leg looked limp. "I was lucky; I was underground when that explosion went off. Okay, let me see you're leg first. I should be able to mend it in a few seconds."

The White Raptor allowed himself to ease his body to lie down upon the ground. Tsuchiko walked over to his side, her hands overflowing with green chakra; the characteristically colored chakra of medical ninja, or the ninja that had extensively studied the healing abilities that chakra could be used for. The kunoichi placed her hands over the broken bones of her only teammate's leg. In a few seconds, his leg had been mended fully and she moved on to heal his other wounds. 

Both of them were thinking the same thing; that the monstrous fox could attack from out of the smoke in any second. This thought only pushed Tsuchiko to work faster. 

"So what is your analysis?" the kunoichi asked inquisitively. She was referring to the information that her partner had obtained from his jutsu. 

"… This monster had five pentagram seals attached to it, most of them broken," the White Raptor answered, "I don't believe that it broke them by itself. This monster was sealed away into the realm of nonexistence. Whoever, or whatever, freed it must have known its true identity. The releaser probably thought that they could control it, but as you can see, they were wrong. 

"The fact that it was sealed with pentagram seals is quite puzzling. I was hoping to find at least eight; one to seal each of its eyes. And none of the pentagrams were connected to its main chakra valves."

"Wait, so you're thinking that the seals weren't used to seal its chakra?" Tsuchiko interjected, "But then that would mean that the pentagrams were used as binding seals; seals that attached the fox to another chakra source, thus making it incapable of moving and stuck onto to something. It would've lived like a leech."

"Exactly," the male shinobi said, "And the only way that it could've been set free without severing all of the seals was if the 'host body', per say, was killed itself. Or… the beast could've sucked all of the chakra from its host."

Tsuchiko looked nervous. She was bracing herself for a surprise attack from the demon-like fox. "But then how did it escape the realm of nonexistence? We both already know that to escape that world, you must have someone from reality touch the balance gate, while the being in the realm of nonexistence touches it as well. Then, the gate will open for a year," the kunoichi stated. "Surely you don't believe the gate was open? Who else would find out about it besides ourselves?"

"… I think we both know who," the White Raptor replied. Tsuchiko swallowed the excess of saliva that had been growing in her mouth. She knew who could, but she did not want to believe it. 

"But if the gate has really been open, then shouldn't there be other monsters that escaped as well?" Tsuchiko pondered aloud. 

"Not necessarily," the masked ninja replied. "This one could've killed the others and devoured their chakra. And that would explain its pure power."

The male shinobi hurled his body from the grassy ground without warning. 

"Tsuchiko! Get out of the way!"

_CLING!_

The sound of metal hitting bone echoed throughout the forest. Tsuchiko leapt up to the right, unsheathing her long sword in a flash. Before her was her teammate, struggling in a losing battle of strength. He had drawn his tachi, which was holding open the giant jaws of the silver fox. The blade was the only thing that had stopped the fox's teeth from tearing into the masked shinobi's flesh and ripping him in half. With much difficulty, he pried his tachi out from in between the deadly fangs and leapt back. He then did something quite unexpected. 

Holding the tachi in his right hand, he raised it to the forearm of his left. He rolled up his sleeve. Then, in a swift, fluid slice he cut deeply from his palm up all the way up to his left shoulder. 

Tsuchiko's eyes widened in both surprise and worry. 

"Surely you don't plan on sealing the fox in your arm!" she exclaimed. "The stability of your chakra will be ruined!" 

"But if we don't defeat this thing, then the stability of the realms will be set into chaos," the White Raptor responded, "It was tracking us for what we are. It knows what purpose we serve. And that is why we know that the snake freak set this beast free. That bastard already used his jutsu on Tenten and all of Konoha. If we wish to reverse that jutsu, then we must take care of this fox _now_."

The White Raptor focused a bright blue chakra to his palms, and knelt down. With two earth-shaking pounds, he hammered the ground with palm strikes. Two giant circles outlined in thin Japanese characters originated from the two points where he had made contact. The characters of the left circle read 'sharing of a single body' while the characters of the other read 'confining to a single appendage'. He then performed the hand signs雄豚, boar, ヘビ, snake, and bull, 雄牛. The sealing circles then grew in diameter until the monstrous silver fox was inside both. 

Tsuchiko walked over and started tracing over the characters with her fingertip. Her touch was the final activator of the seal. 

Rays of endless, blinding light jutted up vertically from the inside of the circles, engulfing the mighty and fearless fox with their grace. The masked shinobi darted into the light and towards the temporally disabled beast, the blood from his arm dripping down in a multitude of red beads. 

He clenched his fingers into the fox's fur, digging down into the flesh of its leg. 

"ARarghAgrhaArGhGGahhRRAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the fox shrieked in pain, in absolute misery. 

Slowly, the fox's body began to be sucked into the wound on the shinobi's arm, starting with the chakra-dense-tail. 

The White Raptor let out an agonized groan; his arm felt as if an inferno was raging inside of it. 

Soon, the tail had disappeared into the boy's arm. The hind feet then began to be pulled in, shrinking and condensing in the process. But the Eight Eyed Fox wasn't going to just let the shinobi seal itself inside of him. 

The monster tried it's best to turn move it's body so that its head would face its attacker. After twisting its spine, it managed to do so. The creature snarled, baring its menacing teeth. Its claws on its front paws seemed to flex, almost like those of a cat. And then it struck out with a slash of its armed leg. 

There was no way that the White Raptor could dodge or block. If he released his grip now, then his sealing jutsu would be incomplete and useless. 

_Ka-LING!_

Tsuchiko leapt up and had blocked the slash with her long sword held in both hands. She stood no less than three feet from her partner. Trusting the strength of her right arm, she let her left wander under her belt, unsheathing her kodachi. Her sacred blade. 

Right on cue, the fox lashed out with its other clawed foot. The kunoichi blocked this attack with the kodachi. Her willpower was amazing to stand up against such raw power like that of the silver fox. It was as if Tsuchiko possessed all of the strength of the earth; the strength of the rocks, soil, and trees. 

But now even she was left open to an attack from the jaws of the beast. 

_Tsuchiko, please, just get out of the way! _the White Raptor thought, pleading in his head. 

But the kunoichi did not. The jaws of death came face to face with her. 

"Ughhh!" she groaned, trying her best not to scream. She felt lightheaded, like she just wanted to fall over and close her eyes. And that is exactly what she did. 

* * *

"Tsuchiko, wake up. Tsuchiko!" a voice called out to the kunoichi. 

A cool burst of water wetted the girl's face. She opened her heavy eyelids. At first, all she could see were blotches of reds and oranges. But soon her eyes began to function normally, as well as here ears. She could here the faint rushing of moving water no more than a few feet from where her head lay. Before her was her masked partner. 

Tsuchiko tried to sit up, but a cracked sensation emerged in her side. She winced, and then looked down at her torso through her squinted eyes. A bloody fang nearly the size of kodachi was lodged in beneath her rib cage. She made an attempt to remove it by clasping both hands around it, but was stopped. 

"You shouldn't do that," the White Raptor replied. "The tooth had a chakra valve system of its own. Once it got stuck in you, that chakra system fused together with your own. Removing it would only cause you to rupture your own chakra."

The kunoichi from Kirigakure stared at her Kumogakure partner. His left arm was wrapped with bloody bandages. 

"What exactly happened? How am I still alive?" Tsuchiko asked. 

"You're little pet came and helped out," the White Raptor replied. 

He was referring to a rusty-orange furred fox that was sitting on his shoulder. Upon seeing his master look at him, the fox jumped down into Tsuchiko's lap.

"What? But I didn't even summon him," Tsuchiko commented, confused. "How could he have found me?"

"Summon creatures are quite peculiar," the Cloud shinobi spoke. "He came from no where and slammed into the silver fox's head, making it go slightly off course and hit you with only a single fang. From there, my sealing jutsu sped up and soon the monster was trapped inside my arm."

"And how does your arm feel now?" Tsuchiko asked. 

"Worse than hell," the White Raptor calmly replied. "Come on, we have to find Tenten. You can stand, can't you?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tsuchiko answered, standing up with great difficulty upon her feet. She used some of her medical ninjutsu to heal some minor fractures and bruises. She then picked up her fox and placed him on her shoulder. "Let's go."

* * *

The two masked teammates stood atop the Village Hidden in the Leaves' main gate. The moonlight was shrouded in clouds, making the two's presence even less unknown. The two looked at each other, then darted off together, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. 

After a few minutes, they jumped down to the ground. A small, one story house lay before them. 

"So this Tenten's house?" Tsuchiko spoke. "… Such a humble existence." 

Together, the ninja and kunoichi walked up concrete steps that lead to an unpainted wooden front door. The White Raptor reached out his right hand and softly rapped upon the wood. There was no way of checking to see if Tenten was awake, but he had a feeling that she would be. 

* * *

Tenten almost flinched as she heard a knock on her door. Who would possibly be visiting her, of all people, this late at night?

She wore her dark brown hair held tightly into two buns and had soft brown eyes. She was still dressed in her day clothes; a faded red jacket with gold trimmings and a pair of black pants that cut off at her ankle. 

The sixteen-year-old kunoichi stood up, dropping a cloth that she had been using to clean an assortment of weapons. She walked over towards her front door.

* * *

"And what exactly are you two doing at Tenten's home so late?" a hiss-like voice spoke out in the darkness of the night. 

Tsuchiko and the White Raptor spun around, obviously startled by the new voice. 

Standing about ten feet from Tenten's house was none other than Orochimaru, a surprisingly skilled shinobi with long black hair and pale skin. He had been forced to flee the Konohagakure when he was discovered to be experimenting with human bodies. 

"I'm sorry, but I've worked too hard for you to foil my plan this late in the game," Orochimaru spoke, suppressing a wide grin. 

Without even moving his arms, the criminal had teleported all three of them back into the forests surrounding the village. 

"How… How did you do that?" Tsuchiko nervously questioned. 

"Once you've fooled time long enough, then it tends to pass on some of its secrets to you," Orochimaru devilishly replied. "Now, which one of you should I kill and which one should I keep as bait?" 

He had already known the answer to this question. Tsuchiko would be the easiest to murder. All he had to do was remove that fang from her side. 

And the other one was… much too valuable. 

"It's such a pity that you sealed the Eight Eyed fox inside your arm," Orochimaru hissed, speaking to the Cloud ninja, "It was quite a task for me to free it. And killing you would only destroy it as well. But to seal a creature like that inside your arm; you'll be wishing that I just killed you instead. The pain it will give you will be far worse than any death imaginable. And one day, mark my words, the beast _will_ take over you, both body and mind." 

Tsuchiko suddenly collapsed upon the ground. The fang had been removed from her torso without her, or her partner, from even noticing it. Orochimaru let his wicked grin show through. He had simply moved his fingers and the fang had been pulled out. 

"Come to Iwagakure if you wish to if you wish to rid the demon from your arm," Orochimaru spoke to the White Raptor. He then turned around and started to walk away. 

_**Tsuchiko!**_ The ninja screamed in his head. His eyes shifted from looking at his fallen comrade and the departing Orochimaru. 

He swiftly unsheathed his tachi and in less than a blink of an eye he slashed Orochimaru in two across the midriff. 

But the two falling segments of the evil man simply turned to a mushy brown blob of mud. He had used an Earth style substitution jutsu. The White Raptor doubted hat he could find the murderer, at least not in time. 

* * *

Tenten opened her front door. No one was there. 

"Hello?" she called out into the darkness. She received no reply.

_That's strange,_ she thought, going back inside and closing the door behind her.

* * *

The White Raptor sheathed his tachi and ran over to his mortally wounded partner. Blood was pouring out of her side, and her chakra was escaping. He prayed beyond hope that she would be okay. 

"Tsuchiko! Are you all right? Please, oh, please, just say something!" he spoke, panicking.

He knelt down beside her side. Despite not being a medic nin, he used his best attempts at trying to heal her with his own chakra. Beneath his mask, tears were scarring his eyes with their heat. 

"… Please… remove… my mask," Tsuchiko begged, her voice hardly an audible whisper. Her partner obeyed.

Her deep green eyes were filled with tears as well, not with tears of pain, but rather with tears of goodbye. Her lips quivered slightly, barely moving as she spoke. 

"I am… sorry that I couldn't… help you more."

The White Raptor removed his own mask, so that only she could see his face. This couldn't be happening. How could his partner- his love- be dying before his own two eyes? Why didn't he do anything else to try to save her? 

"Tsuchiko, stop blaming yourself," the Kumogakure ninja replied softly, "This is all my fault… I should have never stopped to fight the damn fox in the first place. I'm so sorry."

"Arainami, neither of us should be sorry," Tsuchiko spoke, finally using his real name. "I don't want you to live your life in regret and suffering. I love you too much to bear to see you that way." 

"But how can I even call myself 'alive' without you?" Arainami asked, his tears falling upon Tsuchiko's face. 

"Because it was our goal to stop Orochimaru, a goal that has yet to be completed," the dying kunoichi whispered. "And now you must do it alone. Tenten… will find out on her own. The beast in your arm… must be destroyed."

The Cloud shinobi tried to wipe away his tears, but they continued to rush out. He was young, only seventeen, but he had experienced the intense bonds of love. 

"I will forever love you, Tsuchiko," he replied, trying his best to controlling his wavering voice.

"And I will love you even in death, Arainami," the kunoichi whispered, before closing her eyes and going limp. They were the last words she would ever speak.

"Tsuchiko," he whispered, touching her smooth face with his fingers. 

He knew she had left he world of the living. Saying her name was the only thing that could give him comfort. Just moments before she had been alive, and now she was dead. The whole thing had happened too fast. It was hard for him to comprehend.

But even beyond death, he couldn't let his love for her to flicker out like a candle in the rain. Her pale pink lips were curled into a serene smile; symbol enough that her love would be undying even in death. He would have to return the favor. She deserved it. 

Arainami placed his mask over his face again. The one person that he trusted enough to tell his name was gone. He would cling to the title of the 'White Raptor' until someone else could win over his trust. Tsuchiko had died. And so he would once again shed his birth given- chosen- name and wear his mask and title to conserve his true identity. That way, no one could ever take a part of him again. 

Cool rain poured down into the night, showering the White Raptor and washing way the blood on his skin. The wet beads were the sign of heaven's remorse over the death of the earth. 

* * *

**A/N: Tsuchi means 'earth', earth is the root word for Tsuchiko's name (thanks, Ultra Sonic 007 for giving me this name.** '**Arainami' (the White Raptor's name) means 'wild (raging) waves; stormy seas'. I found this translation at www(dot)trussel(dot)com/f(underscore)nih(dot)htm**

**The upcoming chapters won't be nearly as long as this one, I think. I'll be editing the original chapters (prior to this rewrite) and change a few things around, and probably add some stuff too. I will try to make the sentences flow better. **

**And also like to thank tenjichan, who helped me organize the events of the rewrite. She's now officially my beta reader. A big thanks to Shiranui the Brave as well. He helped me with some minor rewording and gave me some pointers that I'm going to continue practicing upon. **

**If you wish to offer suggestions, please visit my forum. It is called 'The Tower of Legacies'. I could also help you with any of your fics there as well. **

**Update information: **

**This story will be updated when the first of the two things below are fulfilled.**

**Five weeks have passed.**

**This chapter has received 50 reviews**

**So, in other words, the next update will be in five weeks unless this chapter gets fifty reviews. I'm really busy, so this is necessary for me for the time being.**

**Thanks for reading. I hope this explained some stuff that needed to be explained. Please review to comment with your thoughts and opinions. **


	2. The Mission across the Land

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I still haven't mastered the transformation jutsu, therefore cannot transform myself to look like Kishi. So, I don't own it. **

A/N: This chapter is considerably shorter than chapter one. The next few chapters will also be short, but the length will gradually increase. Length isn't that important of a factor, though.

* * *

_**Arc One: Another Shinobi War?**_

**Chapter Two **

**The Mission Across the Land**

* * *

A sixteen-year-old Tenten awoke for the day ahead of her. Looking through the single window in her humble home she saw that the sky was still a deep navy as she prepared for the day's mission. Sometimes it bothered her that her teammates were so much stronger than her; especially Neji Hyuga. Rock Lee and her sensei, Gai, were kind of weird though. They both dressed in green jumpsuits and they both had ridiculously bushy eyebrows. Neji specialized in gentle fist taijutsu, Lee and Gai sensei pulverized with hard fist taijutsu, and Tenten herself was skilled with weapons, but yet she couldn't keep up with the rest of her squad.

The kunai knife that was in Tenten's hand slid out of her finger's grasp. Her head- something wasn't quite right. Her eyes weren't functioning correctly. She was seeing something- _people-_ in her room. But they weren't there at the same time. Two different images were being relayed to her brain at the exact same time.

The girl's knees failed her and she collapsed upon the floor.

The people were blurry, but she was able to make out several outlines. They were talking, but all Tenten could hear was an electrical buzzing in her ears. She covered her head in her hands and rolled to the side, trying to rid her senses from their abnormality.

A cold point pierced through the muscle on her arm; and it was deep. Tenten winced as a splotch of blood fell upon her floor. Nevertheless, the pain seemed to cure her dysfunction. She pulled the kunai knife from her arm and flicked it to the side.

Looking around, Tenten was relieved that she didn't see any more blurred people in her room. But it was odd; she also felt a little sad about it. Some things just never could be explained.

The kunoichi quickly bandaged her arm and put a few things in her tattered backpack, which she threw over her shoulder. She then exited her room and took a few more steps only to find her front door. She undid its simple lock and opened it, breathing in the early morning air. She locked the door behind her and left.

Today was the day she had been waiting for nearly a week; it was the day Gai sensei was going to announce their team's new mission.

Tenten started heading out for the meeting place of her squad. She always took the long path in hope that it would get her to be even the slightest bit stronger. But it never seemed to work. Instead, she used the time to think. She thought about her destiny, she thought about her fate, but at the moment she couldn't rid her thoughts of why she saw the people in her room. It was just strange; last night she heard knocking on her door, but when she came to see whom it was, no one was there. And now she was seeing things.

She was feeling oddly alien, as if she had a bizarre disease.

The sun slowly began to peek out from the gentle green horizon. The new light illuminated the fields of wheat and caused the summer weather to start for the day. Tenten's teammates would be waking up about now and she had to hurry up a bit on the way to the meeting place.

Her pace hastened slightly, but she was still walking. She preferred to enjoy life's simple pleasures instead of scheduling her day full with pointless things such as watching the television or playing video games. Life was meant to be enjoyed to the fullest; and Tenten was determined to do just that with her own, despite all of the hardships she had faced.

After soaking up the beauty of nature, Tenten had finally reached her squad's meeting place. The location had changed over the years for reasons such as fire damage and the fact that Gai sensei claimed that they were being spied on. But for now their meeting place was a small, unnoticeable, clearing in a cornfield that had several poorly built benches to sit down on.

Tenten, however, preferred to sprawl out upon the ground and avoid the benches, which were covered in fungi and animal droppings. Neji did the same, but Rock Lee and Gai sensei always used the benches.

Today, Tenten was the first to arrive at the meeting place. Usually Neji was the first but occasionally Lee and Gai were, since the two always arrived at the same exact time. It was just another reason why Tenten didn't like Rock Lee; he was Gai sensei's favorite student. Neji was the strongest, Lee was the sensei's favorite, and she herself did not have a title that was at all significant.

Neji Hyuga arrived about five minutes later. Like usual, he was silent and didn't talk at all. He was also the smartest member of their squad. Just another thing to make Tenten feel even worse, but it actually didn't bother her that much; she was nearly as smart as he was but she preferred to keep her intellect to herself.

"Hello, Neji," Tenten tried to start a conversation, still lying on the ground. "What do you think of the weather this morning?"

Neji didn't reply. He just sat down on the ground. But he did turn his head to look at her. Tenten gazed into his eyes, trying to read his emotions but failed to do so. She did, however, not notice that he was staring her. But then again, she was staring him as well.

"Well, I think it's wonderful," Tenten replied to her own question. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"I suppose," Neji answered after a few seconds. "And you?"

"I… don't know," Tenten answered. Her eyes fell down to the ground in shame. She didn't want to share the details about her 'disease' with one of the few people she could talk to.

"How do you not?" Neji asked. Even though she was no longer looking at him, Tenten could mentally imagine him raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I just don't," she casually replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Neji knew better than to press the subject further, so he just fell back to being quiet.

Tenten then resumed to gazing around at nature's objects. The pebbles that were nestled into the ground were glazed in the sunlight and glistened across the clearing. The corn stalks brightened in the newfound light and Tenten could have bet all the money in the world that she saw them grow taller.

After thirty minutes or so, Lee and Gai sensei finally showed up.

"What took you so long?" Neji questioned the two out of pure impatience. "You're almost as bad as Kakashi sensei." In the previous years, Neji had been assigned to go on dozens on missions with Hatake Kakashi.

"Well, you see, I thought that I set my alarm clock to 5:30 a.m., but it turned out that I set it to 5:30 p.m.," Gai sensei replied. "And you know how Lee always waits for me and all."

"But as soon as Gai sensei was awake, the two of us did fifty laps around the village to make sure that it doesn't happen again!" Lee enthusiastically replied. "And now, our youth will shine brightly today!"

"Whatever," Neji replied with slight annoyance.

"What is today's mission, Gai sensei?" Tenten asked, sitting up now. Her hand unconsciously covered the bandages wrapped around her arm.

"We will be starting our journey to Sunagakure no Sato; the Village Hidden in the Sand," Gai sensei answered with pride in his voice.

"But what will we be doing there?" Tenten asked.

"You shall find out when we get there!" Gai sensei replied. "But after we finish our business there we will be going to Iwagakure no Sato; the Village Hidden in the stones, then to Kirigakure no Sato; the Village Hidden in the mist, and lastly we will be visiting Kumogakure no Sato; the Village Hidden in the Clouds."

"Why are we going to all of the villages where the other Kages are located?" Tenten asked. "And wouldn't it be easier to go to the Village Hidden in the Mist, then the Village Hidden in the Clouds, then stones, and lastly sand, or in reverse order?"

"The order that has been chosen is not traveling distance purposes, Tenten," Gai sensei said in response. "The order has been chosen for more important reasons that _should_ become apparent along our journey."

_I hate it when Gai thinks that I'm the most unintelligent person on our squad!_ Tenten exclaimed in her head. _He's always praising Lee and Neji and I never get any credit at all!_

"Do you understand, Tenten?" Gai asked.

"Yes, Gai sensei. I understand," Tenten reluctantly replied.

"Good. We'll be leaving at noon so I want you guys to go home and pack right away," Gai spoke.

"Yes, Gai sensei!" Lee enthusiastically shouted.

_Geez. It would have been easier if he told us to pack for that long of a mission before we came here_, Tenten grumbled within her mind.

"Oooh! I know something we can do!" Lee shouted out. "Since we were late to the meeting place, let's see who run another fifty laps around the entire village and then race back here! The person who gets back here first will increase their daily youth!"

"Lee that is a great idea," Gai sensei spoke. "I'm so proud that you are my student. But let's make it fifty laps on our hands!"

"Just to make this clear; I'm not walking on my hands around the village in broad daylight," Neji announced in a very formal way.

"And I second that notion," Tenten said.

Neither of them could understand how Lee or Gai thought like that.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of chapter two… Basically, since this is a re-write, it was just a modified version of the original first chapter.

Thanks for reading and please review.

Question for all you people: Should I create a forum? If so, I could take a lot of different directions. I could make a nejiXtenten forum, just a general forum, or one primarily (though not entirely) focused on 'The Dragon in Her Heart'. If the last one, this would be where I could reply to my reviews, answer any questions you might have, explain some things maybe, or just talk about things in general like suggesting good fanfics to read and ect. I could also help anyone out with their fics and give advice and that stuff. You might also get deleted scenes for my fics or learn the basic knowledge about my next ones. Advertise for your stories as well. Discuss about the manga... By now you should get the picture. Anyway, let me know what you think.

B/N: Hello everyone! Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei here! (You probably knew me as tenjichan earlier.) Anyway, as I am the Beta Reader of this story, I have the privilege of giving you guys chapter previews! Chapter 3 is really interesting…and I know what's going to happen…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-cough cough. Ahem, anyway, here's the long awaited…drum roll PREVIEW:

The team embarks on the first stage of their mission! Off to Suna they go! On the train ride, which is Tsunade's choice of transport for them, will Neji learn something strange about Tenten? And there are rumors of war, which is why Neji believes Tsunade is being so careful and only allowing the best ninja squads out of Konoha…What could possibly happen on the journey, that determines snippets of Tenten's FATE?!

Ooh, the suspense!

Anyway, that's all from me for this chapter, see you next time!

Important announcement from Crack God:

I'll be updating twice a week now! Expect updates every Friday and every Monday until specified otherwise!


	3. Onward to Sand

**Disclaimer: I'm getting closer to learning the transformation jutsu… but I still have a ways to go. So, I am not Masashi Kishimoto and I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, places in the series, or unique 'things' in it… which would include the transformation jutsu… so technically I can't use that either… dang it. Now I need some other creative way to fill up the disclaimer space.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Onward to Sand**

* * *

Tenten slammed her suitcase shut and tried to cram all of her clothes and ninja gear inside. She just utterly despised that damn suitcase. It was just too small but she didn't have enough money for a bigger one. Gai hardly gave Tenten any of the money that her team had gotten for missions. He always gave the vast majority to Lee, Neji got a fair amount, and all Tenten ever got was pocket change.

Tenten spilled the contents of her crammed suitcase upon her bed. There was simply no use in possibly breaking the only suitcase she had. This time she solely put her clothes within it and stuffed all of her ninja gear inside her pockets. It wasn't really comfortable for her, but it was the only way she could make it work.

With that she trudged outside, soon having a gentle breeze caress her hair. The sun was already high into the vast sky, beating waves of fiery heat upon the entire village. If it was this hot in Konoha it would surely be hotter in the deserts of Sand.

Despite her time constraints, Tenten still took the long path. She gently jogged down it, trying to beat at least one of her teammates there. But once she got to the meeting spot she discovered that she was last.

"Late again, huh Tenten?" Gai sensei spoke to her. "You're always the last one, aren't you? Your punishment will be that you have to ride in second class on the journey while the rest of us get first class."

"But my suitcase-" Tenten started, but she was interrupted.

"No excuses," Gai harshly barked. "Live with your mistakes and except your punishments. Got it?"

"Yes, I got it," Tenten replied dully.

_Why in hell does Gai have to be like this? He and Lee were late this morning! And how did they already do fifty laps around the village on their__** hands**__? _Tenten complained within her head. _I guess it really doesn't matter that much. He would have found something else to demote me even if I was the first person back. _

"What mode of transportation are we using?" Tenten asked her unfair sensei.

"Must you be so impatient, Tenten?" Gai sensei replied. "You'll just have to wait and find out."

"Gai sensei, what youthful way will we be traveling?" Lee asked enthusiastically, jumping up and down.

"Why, that is an excellent question, Lee!" Gai exclaimed. "To answer it, we'll be riding on a train!"

_How typical! Even if Lee or Neji asked the same question that I did, Gai sensei would praise them for an excellent question but he would punish me for being impatient! Just great!_ Tenten thought. _And another thing is that the train station is right down the block from my house! If he had told us in the first place to meet there then I would have been the first one to get there! _

"Now off we go to the train station!" Gai cheerfully shouted and started marching off to the train station, followed by a marching Lee and a reluctant, casual walking Neji. Soon afterwards, Tenten followed as well.

After about twenty minutes the four had finally reached the train station. Gai flashed a red ticket at the man in the ticket booth, who nodded his head and motioned them to pass on through. The four then immediately boarded an empty train; they were the only ones who had permission to leave to Sunagakure for the time being due to Lady Tsunade's orders.

Neji and Tenten sat down in the first compartment, while Lee and Gai went on, their voices still able to be heard.

"Gai sensei! Can I train of the roof of the train so I don't waste time sitting around and doing nothing?" Lee asked with much enthusiasm.

"What an excellent idea," Gai's voice boomed back.

Soon, the two's voices could no longer be heard, leaving Neji and Tenten all alone in silence.

The kunoichi scooted over in her seat so that she was close enough to open the small window. The sound of the train's engine starting was soon followed by the sharp whistle of its horn and later by the slow creep of its wheels going forward. The speed gradually increased and Tenten stuck her head out of the window.

Konoha was disappearing. The village may not have treated her exceptionally well, but she was still part of it. Despite that, she couldn't help but feel excitement; she was practically free! She loved it whenever she had the rare chance of going on a mission to a faraway land; in fact, that was the very reason why she had decided to become a kunoichi. Although she had developed more reasons over the years, she always felt an exhilaration to travel.

After the village was completely gone from her view, Tenten put her head back inside the compartment, wearing a grin on her face.

"Feels good to be free, doesn't it?" Neji asked.

"Yeah," Tenten replied, nodding her head. "It does."

"Don't let Lee and Gai or anyone else get under your skin," Neji said. "Konohagakure is your home and it is where you belong."

"Thanks," Tenten replied. "You're a good friend, Neji."

It was at this point when the two's eyes both directly met. Instantly, Neji turned his and looked away, probably from embarrassment.

"Don't you wonder what the mission's purpose will actually be?" he asked, changing the subject.

"…Kinda," Tenten answered indirectly. "We're going across all of the major Shinobi territories. It must be important. But parts of it don't make any sense… Villages like Iwagakure, the Village hidden in the Stones, and Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds, would never willingly let Konoha shinobi enter willingly. So we might be spying on some of the villages to gather information.

"But Lady Tsunade's command to shut off all travel between other shinobi nations with the exception of a few high ranked teams was quite peculiar. It suggests that Konoha may be under attack soon."

Neji just sat there for a few moments before we replied, "It is certain that we are about to enter another era of war. When the first assault will be launched is unknown, as well as who will be coordinating the attack. Tsunade-sama is doing her best to protect the village, but it seems as if she's taking this personally. My guess would be that Orochimaru is planning on striking the village again."

Orochimaru. Just thinking the name made Tenten shiver. She had never met the man personally, but she hated him beyond her own comprehension.

Neji noticed his teammate's hand morph into a fist. Ever since just a few years ago, he had known Tenten to despise Orochimaru and he had wondered why since. Everyone in the village didn't like him, but Tenten's hate was deeper than most.

Tenten clenched her fist even harder, and some of the veins in her arm started to become visible.

"Tenten, let it go," Neji hastily replied, his voice urgent and worried. "If you hate Orochimaru that much, then just channel that hate into dedication- dedication to become strong enough to stop him."

Tenten's vision changed once more, but differently from what happened that morning. Bursts of transparent static seemed to randomly appear in her eyes.

She didn't know how, or why, but words appeared in her mind and she just had to say them aloud.

"…He was here, I mean in Konoha, last night," she spoke. "I know he was; Orochimaru was. He was chasing someone… he murdered someone."

"What?!" Neji exclaimed in disbelief. At first he didn't know whether what Tenten was saying was just made up or not, but after seeing the intensity in her eyes he could tell that there was no way she would just make up something like this. "How do you know? Did you see him kill someone? Who?!"

Tenten covered her eyes with her hands, trying to rid her version from seeing the strange static.

"…I don't know," she muttered. "I _just _know."

"Tenten, what's wrong? What's happening to you?" Neji pleaded, almost yelled.

Tenten fell over so that she was lying down on her seat, still covering her eyes. She felt like moaning, but kept the pain from escaping though her throat.

Despite having her eyes both covered and closed, an image materialized through her eyes; a snake, coiled up, opening its mouth wide to devour a mouse, which was already dead. In one terribly slow gulp, the snake had finished its meal.

Suddenly, the snake's eyes were zoomed-in upon. They were bright yellow, and hungry for… something; anything. Then the eyes morphed into the shape of that of a human's, still keeping their hideously yellow irises.

An insane, mad-man like laughing engulfed the kunoichi's eardrums. And the laughter kept on getting even louder and louder. Tenten moved her hands from her eyes and desperately cupped them over her ears. But her attempt was futile and the laughing continued loud as ever.

And then, the shadow-cloaked face of Orochimaru appeared.

Tenten's hands released her head, flailing to her sides. She had fainted.

* * *

A/N: This chapter had quite a few modifications from its original counter-part. I hoped you liked it :)

Thanks for reading, and please review. The forum is now up and running, but it still has to be expanded upon. Please drop by and just say hi or something to let me know you'll particiapte on it.

B/N: Yo! Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei here again! On top of being the beta-reader for this story, I am sure that you guys have gathered that I'm also the chapter-preview dude for this story! So…you've seen the intense flashing of weird pictures in Tenten's mind…WHAT could POSSIBLY HAPPEN NEXT?! Find out, in chapter 4…

Tenten wakes up and has a deep one to one with Neji…what could he say that would affect her, possibly for life? And what has Orochimaru got to do with all the mysterious darkness clawing at the edges of her mind? The four ninja officially start the real part of their mission by STEPPING INTO SUNA! A land that has begun to prosper after its destruction…


	4. A Scared Little Mouse

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters/places/unique 'things'. If you need someone to explain why I need a disclaimer, please talk to my beta reader; she's practically a lawyer-in-training.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**A Scared Little Mouse**

* * *

_Tenten, your power will be mine._

_**You **__will be mine._

_I've waited years after my jutsu was cast. And when the time is right, I will seize you._

_But until then, you will live in fear, unaware of when I will strike._

_So remember, I'll be watching you. For a little while, at the very least. So let's see how much paranoia that will give you._

_I will turn the field mouse that you are into the stealthy predator that is the snake._

_Tenten._

"Tenten!"

The young kunoichi's eyes slowly began to open. Her head no longer ached, but she still could swear that she heard Orochimaru's voice call out her name.

"Tenten, are you awake?"

Suddenly, the girl registered in her brain that it wasn't Orochimaru's voice that was still calling out to her. Instead, it was Neji's.

Tenten slowly sat up in her seat, guided by Neji's gentle hands. Her eyes were back to seeing correctly.

"What… happened to me?" Tenten asked.

"You collapsed and left consciousness," Neji replied, confused, he himself.

"For how long?"

"Only a few minutes. Five at the most. Are you feeling alright?"

Tenten removed her Konohagakure hitai-ate and massaged her forehead, even though it didn't hurt that badly. How much should she tell him? Should she even dare to say that she was scared?

"I'm fine," Tenten replied.

After looking at Neji's face, she could tell that he didn't buy her lie. But it seemed as if he had no intention to take her up on the lie, which relieved Tenten.

"Neji, I want to be as strong as you so that I can take down Orochimaru," the kunoichi stated.

The Hyuga looked into Tenten's eyes and saw a deep never-say-die attitude, something that was completely different from what they would have shown seconds before.

"Gai, Lee, and everyone else are always so hard on you. They've been that way from the start, or so it seems," Neji spoke. "The moment that they first lay eyes upon you they put you beneath them. They thought that you would never amount to anything. Their eyes first saw you as weak, and they have always have seen you that way. Even though you have grown strong they can only see you as being weak because they never believed you could become strong. But I believe that you are strong. I _know_ that you are strong."

His words struck Tenten's deepest being. The words described exactly how it had been for her in the past. And they illustrated how she was viewed the same way. The words he said may have been harsh, but Tenten knew better and was able to see into their true meaning.

"Even the weakest mouse has the ability to grow strong through training and become a graceful crane or a skilled falcon," Neji spoke.

_Those… those words. How is it that he can explain my innermost feeling?_ Tenten thought. _Is it even possible that he is being… sincere? Can his byakugan read my thoughts? Did he see what my eyes saw when I fainted? But why is he not seeing me as weak like the others?…It's because he can tell that I myself know that I'm not weak. My eyes give away all of my emotions, even if his own don't. _

_So I can't listen to Orochimaru! I don't know why he wants me. I may be viewed as a mouse now, but I won't let him turn me into a twisted snake. I can choose my own path, and a path with wings is what I'll take. Neji is like a free bird, even if he used to be caged in by his clan. But I can't take is path either. I have to do things my way._

"You know what, Neji?" Tenten spoke. "I think I'd prefer to become a dragon."

A soft smile appeared on Neji's face, even if it lasted for only a moment.

"Yes, I think a dragon would be appropriate," Neji replied. "It matches you perfectly."

Tenten looked out the window for a moment, smiling herself. But soon, the grin vanished and she became more serious. She turned her head to look at Neji.

"So Orochimaru is going to start another great shinobi war?" Tenten spoke. "Then we're going to have to do everything in our power to stop him. Chances are that he's formed an alliance with Iwa and Kumo. Team Kakashi infiltrated the Sound village earlier this week, only to find it abandoned. So Orochimaru's hideout is probably in one of those two villages."

"And what about Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist?" Neji asked. "The ninja there don't seem to be on our side either. As it stands, there would most likely be neutral. But if that was the case, then it would be our mission's priority to go there first and form an alliance with them. Since we aren't doing that, then Tsunade-same must believe that they are already against us, and asking to form an alliance with them would be pointless. Our purpose for going there must be just to gather information."

Tenten nodded her head. "We must be going to Sunagakure first because the Wind Country is where our strongest alliance lies," she said. "So we're basically in a two against four situation. We're starting out with a disadvantage."

"But at the very least, we already know that an attack will be launched," Neji replied. "We have enough time to strengthen our defenses and prepare for a counter-attack."

"Yeah," Tenten agreed. "It's not impossible for us to win."

* * *

The train slowly decreased its speed, and then suddenly jolted to a complete stop.

Tenten had been forced to close her window much earlier because of all the sand that was being blown inside. The wind seemed to move in spirals, carrying particles of sand allow with it. Its direction would change unpredictably and so fast that it almost became a nuisance.

"Well, we're here," Tenten announced, grabbing her pack.

Neji nodded his head a single time in agreement. "Now Gai sensei will have to start telling us the basics of the mission and we can see how close our theories were."

Neji got up and slid the compartment's door open, and he and Tenten treaded across the polished floor to exit the train. Lee and Gai sensei were already there, waiting for them. Their hair was matted with sand; the must have trained on the roof even once they had reached the desert.

"I assume that you two are ready, so let's go outside and I'll discuss what we'll be doing in this stage of the mission," Gai sensei stated.

Lee did a short-lasting salute and the three young ninja followed their teacher outside into the hot desert that was cooled by the winds.

The Village Hidden in the Sand was dry and hot, but nonetheless there were intricate buildings, bridges, and other architectural wonders. The village had changed a lot in just a few years.

Once Gai checked to make sure the area was clear, he started to talk.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of chapter 4. I know it was short, but the next chapter will show a length difference. But as in the great **The warmth of the Afterglow **said long ago, "Length is stupid. No one needs it. In fact, fk the length! Quality is what counts."

Oh, and I changed this chapter's title from its original counterpart. I hope you like the changes.

I really appreciate you for reading. Please review and continue to read. Thanks a lot for your support!

B/N: Hey y'all! I'm just gonna abbreviate it to SnAS. So, how're you liking the story so far? Good, RIGHT?! (Now you can all go tell Crack God that in a nice review :D) Anyway, I'm sure you know the drill. I'm supposed to say something lame at the top, and give you a chapter preview! Anyway, DRUM ROLL! Chapter 5 AHOY!

What has Gai set out for the three younger shinobi to do in Suna? Is it really to gain allies for the upcoming war, as Konoha really would be in dire straits without the help of the Suna nin, or is it for one of Gai's wacky training exercises for them? Tenten's hopes of proving herself to her other teammates slowly get crushed by Lee's and Gai's inconsiderate comments, and is her only true hope Neji? Doing the task of collecting items in a scavenger hunt, little do they know that Orochimaru and Sasuke are watching from behind the scenes, plotting their next move in order to give the war that's about to break out a little shove in the right (most probably wrong) direction…


	5. The Start of the Scavenger Hunt

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters/places/unique 'things'. This is fanfiction after all.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**The Start of the Scavenger Hunt**

* * *

"Alright," Gai sensei started. "The reason why we are here in Sunagakure, The Village Hidden in the Sand, is primarily to train before reaching the other lands."

"But haven't we done enough training?" Neji asked, trying to see if there was anything else they would be doing in the village.

"Yes, you and Lee are clearly ready, but, however, Tenten here is clearly not," Gai remarked. "She needs the experience or she will surely die later in the mission."

"What?" Tenten shouted. "Come on!"

"Tenten, you are weak," Gai spoke. "In order to survive ten seconds in the real mission you'll have to be at least as strong as myself. Neji and Lee have already proven themselves, but you have not. Now don't complain. The training exercise we shall be doing here is something known as a scavenger hunt."

"A scavenger hunt!" Lee youthfully exclaimed. "Thanks for choosing such a youthful training exercise, Gai sensei!"

"Why, you're welcome, Lee," Gai grinned. "Now, anyway, there are ten objects hidden throughout the village. The three of you must find all of them before the sun starts to set. The one of you who happens to find the most will be excused from the next training exercise. Got it?"

"Roger!" Lee exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got it," Tenten gloomily replied.

"Alright," Neji spoke.

"Good," Gai remarked. "You may communicate with each other during the exercise so that you know what still needs to be found. Here is a list of the objects."

Gai sensei passed a scroll to each of his students. None of them opened the scrolls yet, as if expecting Gai to continue. Finally their sensei did.

"You may start now," Gai spoke. With that the three jumped up and started the search.

* * *

Orochimaru gazed out below the bridge he was standing upon. He was in Sunagakure as well, looking down as the three young shinobi dispersed. More specifically, he was watching Tenten.

"Things are going well, Sasuke," Orochimaru spoke. Suddenly the Uchiha appeared with his sharingan activated. He had left Konoha just over three years ago to obtain power from Orochimaru.

"So the jutsu is holding up?" Sasuke spoke, more of questioned than stated

"Yes," Orochimaru replied. "They still have no clue. And it's partly thanks to you, Sasuke. If you hadn't held off those damn ninja while I cast the jutsu the she would have-"

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed. "We don't know where any of them are. For all we know one could be listening to us right now."

"Come on, Sasuke," Orochimaru replied. "They can't even see us. My jutsu is the reason for that. Even that Hyuga boy won't be able to detect us. Only the girl will have the slightest chance of discovering our location because of what is inside her. And trust me, I could tell if she was listening."

Sasuke glanced over at his new teacher. Orochimaru seemed to become increasingly interested in Tenten's hidden power. But the Uchiha already knew the reason for that; the war would soon start and Orochimaru would need that power before then.

"Let's just kidnap her now," Sasuke spoke. "The sooner you obtain her, the sooner we can initiate war. And the sooner we initiate war, then the sooner the Akatsuki will come out of hiding."

"Now, Sasuke, don't fret," Orochimaru said. "Soon you'll get your way, but for now you must play by my rules. The Eight Eyed Fox is no longer in our possession. We must wait until the shinobi from Kumo is with us."

Sasuke didn't like that he hadn't met the shinobi that Orochimaru spoke of. But he could tell that he hadn't been told the whole story.

"For your own sake, he better join us, and soon," Sasuke dully replied, the wind ruffling his dark hair.

* * *

Tenten sat underneath a bridge, just starting to open her scroll. Immediately she looked at the bottom of the list. There was no point in starting at the top if that's where Neji and Lee were starting as well.

At the bottom of the scroll read: The Powder of the Red Sun

'_The Powder of the Red Sun'? I wonder what that could possibly be, _Tenten thought. She quickly glanced through the rest of the list, finding that the other items were written in a similar fashion. _They are all in riddles! I don't have the time to decode any riddles now! I have to prove to the others that I am not weak by the getting the most on the list! _

Tenten heard a small tap on the bridge above her head. She hastily rolled the scroll up and sprang upon the bridge. To her relief, it was just Neji.

His head was turned the other way and his blood-line trait was activated. His ears seemed to slightly pricked as

Tenten's feet touched the bridge, but it didn't affect him nonetheless.

"Hey, Neji," Tenten spoke casually. "Did you find anything yet?" It was hard to believe that an hour had already passed. But Tenten had been very selective in finding a good place to read the scroll.

For a while Neji said nothing. "No," he finally replied after a bit. "How 'bout you?"

"Nothing," Tenten answered. She paused, and then reluctantly continued. "You know, it would be easier if we put our heads together. Gai's probably just trying to trick us with the thing about the one who finds the most doesn't have to participate in the next exercise."

"Yeah," Neji spoke, agreeing with her. "I don't want to miss out on any training exercise so I haven't been trying all that hard. But now I'm starting to doubt myself."

Silence arose for a minute or two. But then Rock Lee soon jumped up on the bridge as well.

"Guys, I'm going to need some of your youthful help," Lee spoke.

"Alright," Neji spoke. "Good. We're going to need to work together if we're going to pass at all. Where should we start?"

"Why not 'The Powder of the Red Sun'?" Tenten asked.

Lee and Neji looked down at their scrolls and finally found what Tenten was talking about at the bottom.

_Woah! I can't believe it! __**Both**__ of them are actually treating me like I'm an equal on the team! _Tenten thought.

"Alright," Lee spoke. "But try not to slow us down, Tenten."

_Oh great!_ Tenten said in her head sarcastically. _Just when I think I'm being treated like an equal Lee just rains on my parade. Only in my life!_

"I'll try not to," Tenten said nearly in a harsh tone. Lee however wasn't paying attention and didn't catch her anger.

With that the three jumped off ninja-style, Neji in the lead.

* * *

"Okay, now we know where these three are," Orochimaru told Sasuke. "Sasuke, have you spotted their sensei? Your eyes… are always better than my own."

Both Sasuke and Orochimaru were about ten yards from the three young ninja on Gai's squad, encased in an orb of invisibility.

"Yes," Sasuke answered. "He's busy making a fool out of himself by going across the village on his hands. The four were the only Leaf shinobi to arrive. So it seems that our assumption was wrong about them coming to seek help in the approaching war."

"There is no doubt that the true reason why they are here is for that," Orochimaru spoke. "But they are being idiots and wasting their time with a menial activity. Let us infiltrate the Kazekage's palace now. Sasuke, are you ready to assassinate Gaara?"

* * *

A/N: Ughh. I'm so glad that this chapter is over. I hope you liked the little twist at the end.

Thanks for reading and please review.

B/N: Okay. So hi. I'm SnAS. This chapter was OBVIOUSLY AWESOME (as you're gonna be telling the awesome author of this awesome story in an awesome review)!! It's getting really dramatic now, RIGHT?! I mean, WHAT could the POWDER OF THE RED SUN have done to be SO IMPORTANT?! And when's Gaara going to get involved??…And what's Oro-chan and Sasuke-teme gonna do in Suna, especially involving the reason for killing GAARA?! (TT.TT Gaara-chan please no die) Anyway, Drum roll Chapter 6 PREVIEW!

So, the scavenger hunt goes on, and the three shinobi end up splitting up and going their different ways…Tenten manages to find her fair share of goods, and just as she's about to run back…she eyes a weapons store…with an old lady in it…WHAT could be SO IMPORTANT about both the WOMAN and the WEAPON she ends up picking up from the store? And WHY does the granny seem to know her?? FIND OUT IN CHAPTER 6!!

Ooh lala, the DRAMA! X)


	6. The Dragon's Blade

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. If I did, then Sasuke wouldn't have killed Itachi that early in the manga.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**The Dragon's Blade**

* * *

"Anyone got any ideas at all?" Neji asked as he and his teammates were jumping from building to building.

Rock Lee shook his head 'no'. Tenten however, seemed as though she just might have an idea, seeing as her face looked to be in deep concentration.

"Tenten?" Neji spoke.

"Well, I do have an idea but it really is pretty simple, almost too simple," Tenten replied.

"Spit it out already," Lee impatiently spoke.

"Well, 'The Powder of the Red Sun' could be referring to red sand in a desert," Tenten said.

_Sand!_ Neji exclaimed in his head. _Why couldn't I think of that? It is very similar to powder and lies under the red sun! But then again, that does seem too simple… But I do think it's a good start. Unless, what it means is…_

"Neji?" Lee asked. "What? Did you figure it out?"

"I think so," Neji answered. "Sand is definitely it but I think the 'Red' part is deeper than just the sun. I think it's sand that has been stained with blood. Just like the sand Kazekage-sama has to protect the village."

Everyone was silent and they stopped moving. It seemed extremely obvious now that they had figured it out. But now a more difficult path lay before them. Gaara was the Kazekage and there was no doubt that he was surrounded by guards and busy with work. It would take a long time to be able to get through the waiting process of registering an appointment to talk with him.

* * *

Orochimaru and Sasuke casually walked across the streets of Sand. Both were slightly disguised just to make sure that no one passing by through the village would recognize them. Orochimaru's hair had been cut slightly shorter and his eyes were no longer yellow. Sasuke simply was wearing different clothes and had deactivated his sharingan.

"Have you figured it out the infiltration plan?" Sasuke impatiently asked.

"Of course," Orochimaru replied. "It is really very simple. All you needed to know was a little about the Kazekage."

"Then why are we moving so damn slow?" Sasuke complained. "Let's hurry up and disperse the guards."

"Patience," the snake man spoke. "If we make a hasty move we make the risk of making a mistake. We'll have to get 'The Powder of the Red Sun' as well. It would make our great jutsu have been for naught if the girl or her team gets a hold of it. If we make the smallest mistake it will be all over and we just might have to go to war early."

"Well maybe I'd understand more if you actually told me what the plan is" Sasuke yelled, attracting a little bit of attention on the street. He then quieted down add continued. "Besides, the three are on the move again. We should set up a trap for if they ever do try to visit the Kazekage.

"Very well. I'll explain, but not here," Orochimaru hissed back quietly. "Just wait and watch."

And with that the two fell silent as they turned towards the Kazekage's palace, a towering tan dome with spires jutting towards the sun.

* * *

"I don't think we should see Gaara-sama just yet," Lee spoke. "Let's find the other items on the list first."

"Yeah," Neji reluctantly agreed. "There's no way that the other items will be more time-consuming to get than Gaara's blood-stained sand."

The three pulled out their copies of the list and red through them. The list read:

The smallest hand on the largest structure

Five leaves of the desert

Three strings of gold from a master of flight

The rose of the risen

The returned item that didn't return

Violet water from the strait of orange

The shards of ancient trees

The dragon's blade of half

The powder of the plain sun

The powder of the red sun

After she was sure everyone was done reading the list, Tenten spoke.

"Well, now that we've figured out what the last item is, the ninth one seems obvious," Tenten stated. "Number nine is just ordinary sand."

"It has to be," Neji agreed.

"I'll go get some them," Lee spoke, then darted of the building and landed on some soft sand. He reached into his pack, put the list back, and took out a small plastic bag. Within seconds Lee had filled the bag with sand and had jumped back up onto the building.

"One down, nine more to go!" Lee spoke. "The competition of youth has officially started!"

"Let's split up and try to find the other items," Neji said. "We'll meet back here in an hour and then we'll see what we need."

"Roger!" Lee exclaimed.

"Alright," Tenten agreed. And with that the three took off, all three heading in different directions.

Tenten's list was still out as she walked atop of a wall that encircled a segment of the village market. She was rereading the list over and over again, hoping that she'd eventually make a connection. The first item on the list soon became painfully obvious. 'The smallest hand on the largest structure.' After Tenten had looked around for a while she had discovered that the largest structure in the village was a tall office building that was even bigger than the Kazekage's palace. And attached to the top of the building was a clock tower that held several different sized clocks. So the smallest hand on the building was obviously the second- hand on the smallest clock.

But now the problem was how Tenten was going to get the item. With her abilities she could easily pry it off without being seen, but then that would be stealing. And Tenten just wouldn't steal, not even for a training exercise.

Tenten slowly walked over towards the building, trying to think of what to do. But the same two solutions kept on coming into her head. She would either have to steal it or buy it with her own money. And with her morals, she knew the only thing that she could do was buy it.

After ten minutes the girl had reached the architectural structure she was traveling to. She walked into it through automatic-opening doors and went up to the service counter.

"Is there anything you need, mam?" an old man at the counter asked Tenten.

"Umm, do you know where the person in charge of the clock tower is?" the kunoichi questioned.

"Well, I am the one in charge of the clock tower," the man replied with a small twinkle in his eyes. "Can I help you with it?"

"Umm, how much money would it cost for me to have the smallest clock's second- hand?" Tenten politely asked.

"Oh, well if you take the second- hand then we'll need to buy a whole new clock," the old man replied. "But since you asked so nicely I'll sell it to you for thirty Ryo."

"Thanks a lot!" Tenten exclaimed in appreciation. She reached into her pack, pulled out the money, and gave it to the man. "Don't worry about getting it down for me; I can get it myself."

And with that she rushed outside. She didn't care if she had given up nearly all of her money; all she was concentrated on was passing the training exercise.

She darted over to the clock tower and climbed it with ease. Within a flash she snatched the item on her scavenger hunt list and was back down on the ground. She hastily stored it her pack and referred to the list once more. This time another item on the list caught her eye.

_6. Violet water from the strait of orange _

If she remembered correctly, she had seen a small pond when she was standing atop of the wall. At the time she had thought that the water was orange, but then she thought it was just the lighting. But now it seemed that it would be a good idea to go check it out.

Tenten sprinted over to the location where she had seen the pond. The streets were fairly crowded, so she had to squeeze passed some of the villagers. And for a moment she could have swore that she had saw someone she knew, but just shrugged it off and thought it was just a mistake.

* * *

Orochimaru and Sasuke had their backs pressed against an alley wall that was off of a street that lead to the Kazekage's palace. Both were breathing heavily as if they had just darted into the alley to hide.

"That was too close," Sasuke panted.

"Well it's your fault for not getting a better disguise!" Orochimaru snapped. "She might have seen us! You should be feeling lucky that she didn't. If the girl saw us you'd have a lot of questions to answer. And if she knew we were going to the Kazekage's palace she would have stopped us and we would never get The Powder of the Red Sun before her teammates did!"

"Come on! It's not as if she actually did see us," Sasuke shrugged. He was beginning to doubt if his teacher's plan would work. There were just so many things that had to go right and so very few things that could go wrong.

Orochimaru quietly moved to the edge of the alley and peeked out around the corner to make sure that Tenten wasn't still there. Luckily she wasn't, so Orochimaru signaled to Sasuke that it was safe to continue and then left. The Uchiha reluctantly followed.

* * *

Once Tenten had reached the pond, she discovered that it wasn't a pond at all. It was actually a large fountain. Many people were surrounding the fountain and filling bottles with water- it was orange.

And not only was the water orange, but the fountain was built like a strait. It was modeled to connect to larger fountains that had natural clear water.

_Okay, now that I've found the strait of orange I need to find the violet water,_ Tenten thought.

Then she just started to stare at the orange water. And she stared at it some more. And some more. But no matter how long she stared at it all she could she was the orange water.

Feeling discouraged, she pulled a bottle out of her pack and dipped it below the water's surface. But when she raised the bottle from out of the water, the color changed from orange to red and from red to violet.

Then it hit her. Soon Tenten felt like pounding herself in the head. She had heard about a liquid that changed colors based on temperature. And when it was in the fountain it would have been cooler than when it was in the hot air.

She then sealed the bottle and carefully placed it in her back. She glanced at her watch, only to find out that the hour was up.

_Shit! _Tenten thought. _I have to hurry back and meet with Neji and Lee or they'll be mad as can be!_

The kunoichi darted down the streets, heading towards the building where they were suppose to meet up at. Luckily for her, the streets weren't nearly as crowded as before. There were only a few villagers scattered around now.

Suddenly, Tenten saw something peculiar out of the corner of her eye and came to a screeching halt. To the side of her was a small store that was selling weapons. And among the weapons was a kodachi, a type of short sword, whose sheath and hilt marked with a dragon design. The dragon was serpent-like and soft white, its color contrasting with the black background of the sheath.

_8. The dragon's blade of half_

"Can I help you with anything?" a wizened old woman that was apparently the shop owner asked Tenten.

"Oh, sorry," Tenten replied. "I don't have hardly any money so I shouldn't even be looking."

"I see that you had your eye on the dragon kodachi," the woman spoke. She looked oddly familiar to Tenten.

"Yeah, it matches the description of something I'm looking for," Tenten said. "But I'm in a hurry and I better be going now."

Tenten started to turn away but the old woman started to speak so she stopped.

"You may have it for free if you want," the old woman kindly offered. "By the way you look you are very skilled at using weapons. I can tell just with a glance."

"Oh, but I couldn't just take it for free," Tenten politely refused.

"Nonsense," the old woman spoke. "You need it more than me."

"But-" Tenten started.

The woman walked over to the kodachi, picked it up and placed it in Tenten's hand. The sheath felt smooth in the girl's hand and was covered in soft leather, as was the handle.

"Now didn't you say you were in a hurry?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yeah," Tenten spoke as she reluctantly turned away and started to run, then called back. "I promise I'll repay you sometime!"

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for reading and please review:)

This chapter didn't really have that much changed compared to its original version.

B/N: Ha! Now Tenten can show her team that she's not trash! And now all you guys can compliment Crack God (through a review, DUH!) on how he's given Tenten a reason to have a need of a backbone, unlike most stupid stories that give Tenten typical problems in life!! Okay, I'll shut up now—otherwise I'd start ranting about the crap in loads of stories :D smiles serenely Anyway! Here's the part where I give you the chappy preview!

So, Tenten goes back to meet Neji and co…and Lee's LATE! Ha! Take that you meany Lee! Anyway, he gets under her skin and they have an argument…and discuss what they have and haven't got. All they need now is POWDER OF THE RED SUN!! Ooh…AAAH, the DRAMA! So, are they gonna see Gaara? And oh my! Oh gosh! Oh no! What about Oro-chan and Sasu-chan's PLANS TO ANNIHILATE GAARA-CHAAAAAAAANN?!

Find out, in the next chapter. (Damn, I wish I could be like Ryan Seacrest: "And you will find out…After the break!")

SEE YA NEXT TIME; SnAS!


	7. Face to Face with Gaara: Part I

The Dragon in Her Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the character/places/unique 'things'. If I did, then this fic would be drawn out into a side story.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Face to Face with Gaara: Part I**

* * *

Tenten rushed across the road leading to the building where she was supposed to meet up with the others atop.

Within seconds she leapt onto the roof of the building. Neji was already there, but Lee wasn't.

"Sorry I'm late," Tenten apologized. "Where's Lee?"

"Apparently he's even later than you," Neji growled.

"But he's never late," Tenten stated. "Well, other than for the morning's meeting, but still. Do you think something is up?"

"I don't know," Neji replied. "There's only one way to find out."

"Right," Tenten agreed. But just then Lee darted up the building to the others.

"Sorry I'm late!" Lee youthfully cried. "But Tenten stole some of MY items!"

"I did not!" Tenten yelled. "I got all of my items on the list by myself!"

"Yeah right!" Lee yelled back. "How could any one trust someone like you anyway! You're just a weakling who shouldn't even be a ninja! You're a disgrace to our village and you know it! Why don't you just resign already so that Neji and I can at least have a decent teammate!"

Lee's words sliced through Tenten as painfully as possible. People were always calling her weak but they had never gone as far as what Lee just did.

_Am I really that weak? Am I so weak that no matter how far I get people will just walk over me? _Tenten thought. _I mean, even Lee is calling me a thief. So I guess I really am weak… So weak that no one would even care to listen to me. So weak that even if I could become more than the mouse I am I would just become a defenseless insect. I guess that after a while of people calling you weak you really do become weak. So that's what I am. I'm nothing. I'm worthless. Maybe I really should resign… If I resign at least I won't be called weak anymore. I guess Gai was right. Lee and Neji are so advanced compared to a weakling like me. But what if…_

Tears poured down Tenten's cheeks and burned her eyes. In the eyes of others she was weak. And now even in her own eyes she as well. They were only two people who ever showed the slightest appreciation in her. The old woman who gave her the kodachi and… Neji. Well, maybe there were a few others.

Tenten's eyes moved onto the Hyuga.

_What does he really think of me? _Tenten thought. _Does he actually believe that I could grow wings and be more than an insect? Or was it all a lie? Who am I kidding? Neji wouldn't lie to me. _

"That's it!" Tenten yelled. "I'm sick and tired of everyone saying that I'm weak! It may be true but it's getting old!"

Lee almost flinched at the harshness of Tenten's words. Since when had she had the guts or the strength to retaliate? For a long time would be a good answer, but now was different.

"If you're going to call me weak," Tenten spoke," then you're gonna have to prove that I am and fight me! And if you're not up to fighting me then don't call me weak! Got it!?"

"I'll call you weak any time I want to!" Lee hollered back. "And if you want to be crushed in a fight against me then be my guest! The power of youth with never fail me."

"Alright!" Tenten shouted. She hastily grabbed a kunai and chucked it at Lee. It pierced through Lee's thigh and was followed up by several more as well as some shuriken, all hitting Lee and causing blood to squirt out of the wounds.

"I'm just warming up!" Tenten spoke.

She opened her pack and quickly grabbed several scrolls. She hastily opened one of them and prepared to attack.

"Tenten, stop!" Neji yelled as he jumped over Tenten's head to land in front of her and grab her arms, stopping her from attacking Lee. But it was too late. Tenten had already finished the jutsu and shuriken from nearly every direction slashed the air and headed for Neji. The Hyuga had no time at all to use his perfect defense. His byakugan activated but he knew it was too late. His eyes screwed shut and he braced himself.

But nothing happened. His eyes slowly peeked open. It was just genjutsu; an illusion. And a rather simple one at that. And to think that a genius like himself had fallen for it!

The Hyuga glanced around. Luckily Lee had fallen down, fainted, and didn't see his mistake. But Tenten… Her eyes were just staring right at him.

_Did he just do that!_ Tenten thought in bewilderment. _He treated my attack as if it could actually hurt him! Then that means, he really does think that I'm not weak! He actually thinks that I'm worthy as a ninja- as a kunoichi! _

"Neji," Tenten spoke softly. She dropped everything in her hands and gripped her arms around Neji in a hug. "You really don't think I'm weak! What you said on the train really was genuine!"

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked, obviously confused but slightly blushing all the less. ."And could you please get off- oh never mind." He was feeling rather dumb at the moment. Tenten would never harm one of her teammates, even if they didn't get along very well.

"When you flinched it meant that you actually thought that I was capable of hurting you!" Tenten exclaimed, slightly loosening her grip around Neji. "Which in turn means that you don't think that I am just a weakling!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Neji stuttered. "Of course I don't think you're weak. You should have known that for a long time now!"

Tenten knew that he had always been truthful. She was starting to think why she even asked it in the first place.

"No, I don't think you're weak," Neji continued. "You're an excellent kunoichi and you can surprise even me sometimes. However, emotional strength is what you lack. You can't let other people's negative views on you get under your skin. Your never-say-die attitude seems to be diminishing, even if it's still there. Believe in yourself like I believe in you and you will succeed. And even if others provoke, you yourself still have to know that you're not weak in order for you to gain emotional strength."

The desert wind was now gentle and Tenten looked up and stared into Neji's eyes. And he stared back into hers.

And it was at this moment that Neji could tell that she was scared, deep down inside. He wanted to help her, but he knew that another step for her to build up her emotional strength would be for her to admit her fears. But it was such a personal thing and he didn't want to press the issue.

_Thank you, Neji_, Tenten thought. _Thanks for everything._

The wind continued its soft touch, lifting Neji's long black hair into the wind and stroking Tenten's own as well.

Suddenly, Tenten's eyes became focused, and she remembered the task at hand. Looking into her eyes, Neji could remember as well.

"So then, how many items did you get, Tenten?" Neji questioned.

"Wha- oh. I found three of them," Tenten answered. "What about you?"

"I got four," Neji replied. "Now I just hope Lee got the last one; that is besides Gaara's sand."

"Yeah," Tenten spoke. "I got the smallest hand on the largest structure, violet water from the strait of orange, and the dragon's blade of half."

"Hn," Neji said. "I got the five leaves of the desert, three strings of gold from a master of flight, the returned item that didn't return, and the shards of ancient trees."

"So that means that we still need the rose of the risen if Lee hasn't gotten it," Tenten spoke. "I guess I shouldn't have knocked him out with genjutsu."

"He won't be unconscious for long," Neji replied. "It's not as if you actually wounded him. But I guess he got what he deserved. Even if it was a little inappropriate for a mission."

Around Tenten's waist in its sheath was the dragon's blade of half; the kodachi. It soon caught Neji's eye, but he didn't give it too much thought.

_Tenten's becoming quite resourceful. She managed to get three items on her own,_ Neji thought._ And I didn't even have the slightest idea to what the 'violet water from the strait of orange' was. I managed to figure out what the other two were, but when I reached the clock tower the second hand was already gone and I couldn't even find the dragon's blade of half. _

"Neji," Tenten spoke, interrupting Neji's train of thought, "I think we should wake up Lee now. We have to find out if he has the rose of the risen or not. We don't have a lot of time left and we'll need a lot of it to schedule the meeting with the Kazekage-sama"

"Wha- oh, yes, I do believe we should wake him up now," Neji said, his mind just leaving his own thoughts. "We really don't have time to sit around and waste doing nothing. Gai sensei will be expecting us to meet up with him soon."

"Yeah, you're right," Tenten replied. "I'll wake him."

Tenten slid over and tugged on Lee's shoulder, saying softly, "Lee, get up. Did you find the rose of the risen? We don't have a lot of time left and we still need the powder of the red sun."

After a few moments, Tenten's urging managed to receive results.

Lee soon gained consciousness and struggled to stand, but after that he seemed perfectly fine and walked over to Neji, Tenten following.

"Lee, did you get anything else on the scavenger hunt list?" Neji questioned his green clad teammate. "Tenten and I got everything except the rose of the risen, and of course Gaara's sand."

"Well the power of youth is on our side!" Lee youthfully exclaimed. "For I have the rose of the risen!" Lee reached into his pack and pulled out a rather large red rose. "I found it on the top of the clock tower!"

"Good," Neji said. "So then, are we all ready to speak with Gaara?"

"Roger!" Lee shouted.

"I'm ready, too," Tenten stated.

"Okay then," Neji spoke. "Let's move out to the Kazekage's palace."

* * *

The three leapt up ninja style and jumped from building to building, making their way to the palace. They only had a single hour left to complete the scavenger hunt and would need every precious second that they had.

"The three are heading this way at a remarkable pace," Sasuke, commented to his teacher. "They'll arrive here at any second."

Both Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru sat atop the tallest spire rising over the grand palace. Orochimaru seemed to be working on casting a jutsu that would let them inside, but he was forced to stop.

"Then we just won't let them in," Orochimaru sneered.

He started performing different hand signs, and soon a blob of mud was standing beside him. Slowly, the blob became more defined and it was sculpted away to look human. Once it gained color, it looked exactly like Gaara, the Kazekage-sama.

"So you'll have them play with a fake Kazekage?" Sasuke asked almost emotionlessly. "That should buy us about twenty or thirty minutes."

"And that's all we'll need," Orochimaru replied. "By the time they actually get into the palace, the real Kazekage will be dead, thanks to your sword."

Sasuke's eyes looked down at his feet, almost in shame.

Orochimaru swung his hand outward, commanding his mud-clone of Gaara to go out and stop anyone from entering the palace.

Afterwards, he resumed his previous jutsu and in seconds both he and Sasuke sunk into the roof unnoticed.

* * *

In a mere minute Neji, Tenten, and Lee had reached their destination. The palace was enormous, consisting of a dozen towers and a main base curved into an oval. It was built out of mostly clay bricks but also had several dome shaped areas that were made with different shades and tints of glass. The landscape looked extremely fertile compared to the other parts of the village. It had a large oasis- like garden and was covered in serene ponds. It was the perfect place for such an important architectural structure.

But the presence of the three didn't go unnoticed. The mud-cloned Gaara had been watching for them. Now it was time for him to buy as much time as needed. He slowly melted into the ground, moving in the soil, only to re-emerge right behind his three targets

"If you want to live I suggest you leave now," a voice that imitated Gaara's own perfectly spoke. "But then again you were careless enough to be seen so I think I shall kill you anyway. Prepare yourself for a burial in the sand."

* * *

A/N: Well, this chapter had at the very least one major change.

Thanks for reading and please review.

B/N: Okay, so they've met the GASP fake! Gaara, so what are they gonna do now? And WHY does Oro-chan the creep and Sasuke the Uchiha want to kill him so bad?! AND WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE POWDER DAMNIT?! –Find out, in Chapter 8!

So they start fighting the fake Gaara and it's quite an intense battle. Tenten yet again proves herself to be a strong kunoichi and is a major role in helping her team with the battle. Orochimaru and Sasuke meanwhile, have successfully knocked out the guards and managed to steal (SOMETHING) that is REALLY IMPORTANT!! WHAT could it BE?! And little does team Gai know that it was what they were searching for all along, sigh…

That's all from me, SnAS! See you in Chapter 8!!

A/N: A reminder to all readers, only review ONCE per chapter. Do not abuse the power to send un-signed reviews. That means you, Blue Chinese Dragoness/Purple Chinese Dragoness/ White Chinese Dragoness/ Pearl blah bah dragon and all of her "five sisters"... chances are the five sisters and the three chinese dragonesses are are 1 person, so please, a warning to that one person, ONE REVIEW PER CHAPTER!! Thank you


	8. Face to Face with Gaara: Part II

The Dragon in Her Heart Written By: Crack God

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters/places/unique 'things'. If I did then the king of the Biju nine would be the Eight Eyed Fox.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Face to Face with Gaara: Part II**

* * *

The hairs on the back of the three's necks rose. They had just gotten to the palace and Gaara had instantly spotted them. His abilities were frightening enough to start with, but now he was at a completely different level.

"If you're going to kill us then do it," Neji spoke, almost challenging Gaara's words. He automatically recognized that it was a fake. "If not, then please let us through so that we can meet with the _real_ Kazekage-sama."

This was more than enough of a signal to let Tenten and Lee know that it was a fake.

"Since you are that eager to die I have no reason not to, not that I had one before," Gaara spat, performing several hand signs. "Sabakukyu! The coffin of crushing sand!"

The sand on the ground instantly rose and rocketed towards Neji, twisting and turning as it went down its path. Soon the sand grew figures, reaching out to pull the Hyuga into the fullness of the attack.

"If you were the real Gaara then you would already know that my defense surpasses your own," Neji said. "I don't even need to use my perfect defense against you. Byakugan!"

The veins near Neji's eyes popped out as he activated his clan's trait. Instantly he could see the amount of Gaara's chakra that was in the sand assault. The second the sand's figures brushed against his feet he immediately bent down and attacked it with a palm-strike. This was so that he could release his own chakra inside of the sand at just the right amount so that he would have more of his chakra in the sand than Gaara did, thus stopping the sand from damaging himself.

"Lee, it's your turn!" Neji roared. "Tenten, get ready to strike after Lee!"

"Right!" Lee exclaimed. Now since it was all three of them against one fake Gaara, Lee could use his lotus technique without worrying about being defenseless afterwards. "Primary lotus!"

Lee darted up to Gaara and prepared to kick him, but Gaara's sand barrier activated, once again with sand from the ground instead of his bloodstained sand. But Neji easily countered by manipulating the sand that he now controlled and crashing it into Gaara's sand shield, making it useless.

With a fierce kick to Gaara's jaw, Lee's lotus began. Gaara sprung into the air and Lee leapt up to follow, consecutively kicking his opponent. The bandages on Lee's arms unwrapped and constricted around Gaara's body. And then the two spiraled down to the ground, releasing Lee his hold just soon enough for him to avoid all damage, other than the lotus's strain on the body.

But just as Lee left Gaara, the Kazekage manipulated more sand and easily cushioned his landing, suffering little, if not any, damage. Nevertheless, he still landed on his back and gave an opportunity for Tenten to strike.

The kunoichi hastily whipped out six scrolls, holding three in each hand. "I've been saving this technique for later, but you'll have the honor of viewing it first, _Gaara_!" Tenten barked. With swift hand signs, she performed the new jutsu. Instantaneously, thousands upon thousands of shuriken flew out of the six scrolls, joining together by Tenten's chakra to create several long chains of the weapons. The chains of shuriken darted at Gaara and easily wrapped him from his knees to his shoulders, but his arms still remained free. Then with precise chakra control, Tenten made the shuriken stars that were close to Gaara's vital spots spin rapidly, cutting past the coat of sand that mummified the Kazekage's clone and piercing into his skin. The fake had been crafted to be almost exactly like the real thing.

"An interesting jutsu, yes, but it has a major flaw," Gaara grinned. "By simply removing a single shuriken that is not spinning that whole chain will be broken and useless. But you've still wounded me, so consider yourself lucky."

Gaara manipulated more of the sand on the ground and directed to break the chains of shuriken. But soon he found out that the shuriken wouldn't budge. And when he tried to stop the moving shuriken from wounding him further he found his attempts futile again.

"Confused, aren't you?" Tenten smirked as Lee stood in disbelief that she could have learned such an effective jutsu. "All of the shuriken are immensely magnetized so that once they create a chain the chain cannot be broken by anything except my own chakra. And then the scrolls were used more than just to hold the shuriken. I coated each and every one of the scrolls with tiny, almost invisible, pieces of magnetized iron particles. And when I whipped them out all of the iron particles landed on you, Gaara. So now all of the shuriken are so strongly magnetically attracted to you that there isn't a way you could get them off of you."

_Wow. Tenten really is a genius in her own way, just like Lee's a genius of hard work,_ Neji thought. _She's truly a genius of weaponry, not just skilled with it. And she has her determined demeanor again. We might be able to make quick work of this fake and see what's really going on inside the palace. _

* * *

"This is working out perfectly, Sasuke," Orochimaru spoke to the Uchiha. "With the three of them fighting our fake Gaara we shall be able to easily get the Powder of the Red Sun without them noticing. Knock out the guards and we'll have almost certain success in the assassination."

"You know, it would help if you actually told me what this powder crap is," Sasuke hissed. "But suit yourself. You just might not get the results you're expecting."

The two were in an empty room of the palace that appeared to be a library that hadn't been used in years.

"Patience," Orochimaru whispered. "You never know who might be listening. You'll find out what it is when we get there. But for now we need to wait until all four of them down there are worn out. The three from Gai's squad are proving quite a challenge to fake Kazekage. If we don't move fast then they might finish the fight before our operation is complete."

"Just tell me already!" Sasuke shouted. "We're in an abandoned library. Nobody is listening to us."

"But that's what they want you to think," Orochimaru said matter-of-factly. "Time to make our move. Let's move out further into the palace. Follow my lead."

Sasuke, once again, reluctantly agreed.

* * *

"Even if you do have me trapped, I can still attack you," Gaara spat, moving his sand towards Lee, whom was still damaged from the lotus.

But soon the sand came to a screeching halt and wouldn't move further. Gaara put more of his chakra inside it, but the sand only lurched a few more centimeters forward.

"I already thought of the possibility that you would attack, _Gaara_," Tenten spoke, "so when I threw the iron particles that were on the scrolls onto you, I also purposely aimed a large amount of the iron to land into your sand, making it extremely difficult for you to manipulate your sand without using the vast majority of your chakra."

"Then you have left me with only a few options," Gaara spoke. "Sabakusoso! Imploding sand funeral!"

Instantly Gaara's sand condensed until the point where it exploded from within, sending bits of sand, as well as the iron particles, in every direction. "Just because I can't make the sand move doesn't mean that it use useless. And now it's time to reclaim the sand that the Hyuga stole from me."

Since Gaara had been careful to make sure none of the iron particles landed on the sand that Neji was currently controlling, that sand was still usable. He performed a few hand signs and instantly more of his chakra filled the sand, making it so his chakra was dominant over Neji's within the sand. Immediately, the Kazekage whipped the sand away from Neji at a distance in which the Hyuga couldn't release any more of his chakra back into the sand. (A/N: wow… I used the word 'sand' a lot)

"You think that will help you?" Neji smirked, trying to lure the fake Gaara into releasing what he wanted. "The only way you'll be able to stop us is if you use you're bloodstained sand that's in your gourd."

"We'll see about that," Gaara commented. He then forced the sand to lurch forward, aiming directly at the defenseless Lee.

As soon as Neji and Tenten tried to move, Gaara split the sand into three major streams; one still heading towards

Lee and the other two blocking Tenten and Neji from reaching their teammate in time.

"Aiiieeeeeeee!" Lee screeched, the sandy fingers swallowing his body, threatening to crush him alive.

"You're lucky, bushy brow," Gaara hissed. "You are no threat to me, but now I have your teammates right where I want them. Particularly that girl." Gaara then turned to face Tenten, then started speaking to her. "You said earlier that this jutsu- only your own chakra can release it. But what happens if you can't control your own chakra, such as if you faint or even die? No doubt the jutsu will be broken and I will be released. So then that means you have to go out first."

The wall of sand that separated Tenten from saving Lee circled around her in a dome. Only the ground wasn't coated in sand, Tenten didn't have enough of her chakra left to keep her jutsu up and to escape. But if she released her jutsu Gaara would surely kill her and Neji instantly so she had to keep it up under any cost.

"Tenten!" Neji shouted. His byakugan was still activated so he could see through the sand surrounding Tenten, seeing that the sand was slowly but surely caving in closer to Tenten, almost about to grab hold of her.

"So that leaves just us, Hyuga," Gaara snapped. "And from your previous performance your defeat is surely inevitable."

"Tenten isn't the only talented one here," Neji barked back.

He hastily performed earth-style hand signs, and then plowed into the ground. He almost instantaneously resurfaced under the sand dome around Tenten. He then tightly grabbed her around her stomach and went back under ground.

This time he resurfaced directly behind Gaara, still clenching Tenten.

"Thanks, Neji," Tenten spoke. "I owe you one."

"No, your jutsu has probably saved us all so consider it free," Neji replied. "Besides, I wouldn't let this _creep_ of a Kazekage hurt you."

"Hmm, it really doesn't seem like you care whether or not if your green clad friend dies," Gaara responded, clearly agitated.

"And it doesn't seem like you care about yours," Neji spoke, moving so fast that it seemed like he had teleported in front of Gaara. His hand was out and was clenching a kunai that was held up to Gaara's throat. "Now then, if you're intelligent you'll let Lee go. If you don't then you'll find out what I'm really capable of. Not even the jutsu that that Tenten used can stand up to my power. You see, both of us are on a team and we'll protect each other no matter what."

Neji was bargaining with a fake, something that was probably rather pointless. The cloned Gaara wouldn't care if it died, but Lee was still trapped in the sand. However, this was just the kind of distraction Neji needed to make in order for Tenten to sneak in and free Lee.

Which was exactly what Tenten did. Once she was next to Lee, she put all of her remaining magnetized powder into the sand encasing her teammate. She tried her best to mix it in with the chakra dense sand, which was by all means not an easy task. She clawed her fingers into the sand, making them bloody red in the process. But it was what she would have to do to save Lee.

Once the sand was thoroughly mixed, she retrieved one of her shuriken chains and held it up. Slowly but surely, the sand began to be attracted to the metal and it flew up off of Lee. In about a minute, he was free.

As soon as the green clad ninja had escaped the sand, Neji knew it was time to put an end to the fake Gaara. He thrust his Kunai into his opponent's throat. Seconds later, the clone returned to being a blob of mud.

"Come on guys," Neji spoke. "Let's see what's really going on in the palace."

"Right," Tenten agreed.

The three then sprinted off towards the palace entrance.

* * *

"Sasuke, stop touching everything that you see!" Orochimaru complained. He and Sasuke were inside the Kazekage's palace. Lucky for them there were few guards posted inside it, and the ones that were inside were very easy to silently knockout.

"Sorry," Sasuke apologized. "…Everything here just looks so unusual. Could you please give me a description of the 'powder of the red sun'?"

"Don't make me repeat myself again," Orochimaru spoke as the two turned into a hallway. "No doubt the three of Gai's squad still think that the Powder of the Red Sun is Gaara's bloodstained sand. It is definitely something different, but still related to the Kazekage. And more of the role Kazekage than Gaara specifically."

"Whatever," Sasuke halfheartedly replied. Then the two exited the hallway and entered another room.

"Well, I do believe we've reached our destination," Orochimaru stated.

The room was dimly lit with several candles. Its roof was dome like and made of stained glass. There was a statue in every corner, each one identical- a cylinder pedestal made of red clay with a crouching tiger on top. The beasts' claws were made of diamonds, as well as their eyes. With the pedestal and the tiger, each one was about eight feet tall, five feet wide, and six feet long. Each of the tigers was facing the center of the room. But beside these statues, the room was completely empty.

"And what is supposed to be in here?" Sasuke questioned. "It's empty."

"Once again, that is what they want us to think," Orochimaru replied. "The Powder of the Red Sun is an item handed down from each Kazekage. Before a Kazekage resigns they must have created a jar of the powder or when they die they will not be remembered as a Kazekage. Gaara has already created at least seven jars of the powder. And what the powder does is restores lost memories. Which means that we need to steal all of it or our initial plan can be potentially ruined. And since the time three years ago when Sound formed an alliance with Sand I have discovered the clues to open the chamber in which the jars dwell. They are all kept right under the floor of this room."

"Alright," Sasuke replied. "Then just open the chamber already. We can't risk anyone using that stuff to restore memories or the jutsu would have been useless, or so you keep on saying." His voice still was as emotionless as ever.

"Of course," Orochimaru spoke. "This is actually the reason why we came to Sand in the first place."

Orochimaru stepped out into the center of the room. Then he knelt down and performed four 'tiger' hand signs followed be three more hand signs that Sasuke had never seen before. Suddenly one of the tiger statues crept from its corner, revealing a small chamber that was underneath the floor. And in the chamber were rows and rows of jars filled to the brim with the Powder of the Red Sun.

Orochimaru pulled out an empty scroll and performed a jutsu that sealed every single one of the jars inside the parchment. He then grabbed a small scroll case, put the scroll inside it, and then sealed the case in another jutsu so that the container could never be opened, broken, burned, or damaged in any other way, shape, or form as long as Orochimaru himself was alive.

Then the snake man stepped out of the chamber and pushed the statue back in place as if it hadn't ever moved.

"Come on, Sasuke," Orochimaru spoke with a deep grin on his face. "It is time to kill Gaara." And with that the two exited the room and headed down another corridor towards the Kazekage's office.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading and please spend the time to review with your thoughts of the chapter.

B/N: UH OH! WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO WITHOUT THE REAL POWDER OF THE RED SUN?! Well then, ask Crack God—genius of writing—in a review! Anyway, I'm too…out of ideas…to bother to come up with something lame yet cool to stick into this space, so I'm gonna just skip to the chappy preview of CHAPPY NINE!

So…ORO-CHAN and SASU-CHAN go and almost kill GAARA-CHAN! BUTTTT! They meet trouble in the form of TEAM KAKASHI and TEAM GAI COMBINED!! WHAT could this POSSIBLY MEAN?! Find out- in Chapter 9 of The Dragon in Her Heart!

See y'all next time in chapter 9! Ja ne, SnAS!


End file.
